


Teach Me How to Love

by prettypaladinss



Series: Teach Me How to Love (complete) [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anxiety, Comfort, Comfort/Angst, Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff, Insecurity, Kissing, Light Angst, M/M, Panic Attacks, Post-Season/Series 06, Rated T for some sexual undertones, Romance, Soft Boys, Soft Keith (Voltron), Soft Keith/Lance (Voltron), Soft Lance (Voltron), Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Touch-Starved Keith (Voltron), Written before S7, honestly this is so self-indulgent, klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-06-25 17:54:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15645909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettypaladinss/pseuds/prettypaladinss
Summary: Keith and Lance have just confessed to each other and begun their relationship. But there's a lot that Keith doesn't know about love. Luckily Lance is eager to teach him.





	1. Words

**Author's Note:**

> Season 7 did not manage to break my Klance heart! But it could use some fluff to recharge. :))
> 
> I came up with this multi-chapter idea before s7 so it takes place during the space road trip and will probably not be accurate to s7.
> 
> Don't lose faith in Laith!

Lance climbed down from Red’s cockpit, stretching his arms out and yawning contentedly. He still couldn’t believe that last night had happened. Keith was his boyfriend. Keith, the amazing, top-of-the-class pilot, leader of Voltron, hothead, mullet-brain, selfless, brave, adorably awkward, yet cool guy that he had always admired, was his _boyfriend_. The only thing that convinced him it wasn’t all a dream was the fact that after Keith’s unexpected confession, and their _kiss_ , he pinched himself until it hurt. 

He rubbed his arm in remembrance. _Yup,_ he thought to himself. _It had to be real._

As Lance jogged closer to the group’s campfire, he realized that he recognized the mullet-headed silhouette sitting on a log near the fire. He couldn’t help but grin to himself and speed up a little. 

Keith was stoking the fire with a stick, clad in his old black t-shirt and jeans. His red jacket didn’t fit him anymore. Lance had to admit it was nice to see him back in his normal clothes rather than his paladin armor or Marmora uniform.

Keith’s hand darted to his dagger as an instinct, but Lance reached him before he could turn around.

“Morning babe,” Lance greeted. 

Keith’s posture relaxed when he recognized the cheery voice. Lance slid onto the log next to him and pecked a quick kiss to his cheek. Keith froze at that. 

_Oh no._ All of Lance’s worries came flooding back at once. 

“Hey, are you okay? Last night wasn’t a dream, right?” he asked, voice wavering. 

Keith shook his head and turned to Lance, though he didn't quite meet his eyes. 

“No no, I just um...I’m sorry, Lance. I’m not really used to...stuff like this,” he tried explaining. 

Just those simple words had Keith blushing, eyes darting to avoid Lance’s. 

_God, he’s so cute,_ Lance thought to himself. 

But aside from that, what Keith said made sense. Their kiss last night, though magical and long-awaited, had been short and tight-lipped. 

Lance edged his hand over to Keith’s, letting just their pinkies overlap. Keith still flinched at the touch, finally meeting Lance’s gaze. 

“You’ve never been with anyone?” he asked, though he felt like he already knew the answer. The two had known each other the whole time they were at the Garrison after all. 

Keith just shook his head. 

“That’s fine. Neither have I,” Lance said.

Keith looked up at him in surprise. Lance just smiled shyly. 

“I know, I know. I don’t quite live up to the loverboy title,” Lance joked. 

That got Keith to laugh, and Lance relaxed a little.

“But you’re not used to touching, is that right? And all the romantic stuff,” Lance continued, wishing he could have put it more articulately. 

Keith’s eyes wandered as he thought about it. 

“I mean, I’ve hugged Shiro and my mom, and the team, before. But yeah, when I started getting close to Shiro, he would do something like put his hand on my shoulder or ruffle my hair, and honestly, it was kind of startling for me. I guess after my parents left I hardly touched anyone and that like, made me...sensitive.” 

Keith cringed at the word, not quite sure if it fit. 

“I think you’re touch-starved, honey,” Lance chimed in. 

Lance had always been comfortable with touch, as his family had always been affectionate and open with their feelings. He knew that not all families were the same, but he had no idea that Keith had grown up with practically the opposite situation from him. 

He slid his ring finger on top of Keith’s hand, reminding himself to take things slow.

Keith felt an unfamiliar rush of happiness at the sound of the nickname and the extra bit of contact.

“Touch-starved, yeah,” he agreed. He paused before continuing, “And the romantic stuff…” 

His eyebrows furrowed a little. 

“I don’t know. I’ve seen couples in the movies and at the Garrison, including Shiro and Adam, and I’ve seen them kissing and stuff,” he started, grimacing a little at the thought of his brother and his boyfriend kissing. “But I guess I never thought that was for me. When I was a kid I was pretty cynical about love, but as I got older, I just...never saw it in my future.”

Lance’s heart dropped. He wanted so badly to pull Keith in close, hold him against his chest, run his hands through his hair, but he sufficed by placing his hand over Keith’s and intertwining their fingers. 

He smiled and dipped his head to look into Keith’s eyes. 

“Well love is in your future now,” he said suavely. 

Keith giggled, the sound making Lance beam. 

“You’re so cheesy,” Keith said, rolling his eyes.

“I’m serious,” Lance said. 

The lower tone of his voice made Keith look back at him, surprised by his steady gaze. 

“I wanna teach you how to love,” Lance whispered, leaning just a little closer.

Lance gently turned Keith’s hand over to hold it properly. Keith’s mouth dropped into a small “o” as he realized how close Lance was. Lance kept leaning closer, very obviously staring at Keith’s lips through half-lidded eyes. Keith found himself moving in as well, suddenly hit by the need to have Lance’s lips on his.

Keith froze when he heard heavy footsteps approach, then stop. He and Lance both turned to see Hunk at the edge of the campfire, eyes comically wide and jaw dropped. 

“We um--” Lance stuttered. 

His eyes flew down to where his and Keith’s hands were joined. Well. 

“Oh my God, finally!” Hunk exclaimed. “I’ve been waiting for you guys to get together since the Garrison!” 

He glanced back and forth between Lance and Keith excitedly before he realized what exactly he walked in on. 

“Oh. Sorry for interrupting! I’ll just…” he looked around for some sort of escape route. “Go look for breakfast!” 

He darted off towards the nearby field.

Lance let out a sigh and turned back to Keith. They met eyes, then laughed together. 

After Lance settled down, he said, “Oh God, we have to tell them.”

Keith made a face as the rest of the group started to stir.

***

Unsurprisingly, the rest of the team took the news very well. 

Pidge may have gagged at the thought of lovey-dovey stuff, but she did admit that she shipped them from day one. 

Shiro was very happy, having known about Keith’s crush on Lance longer than Keith did. He placed a hand on each of their shoulders and said, “Just don’t let this get in the way of saving the universe, okay?” Keith and Lance both assured him that it wouldn’t. 

Coran was positively beaming. He hugged both of the boys and made a declaration of the importance of love and hope in war. Then he went off on a tangent about some old Altean love story that everyone could only pretend to have interest in. 

Romelle was unfamiliar with the situation but was happy for them.

Krolia had picked up on Keith’s feelings for Lance while she and Keith had spent time on the space whale. She simply placed a hand on Lance’s shoulder and said, “If you hurt him, I’ll kill you,” followed by a smile. Lance just nodded frantically.

Allura smiled gently and congratulated the two. Lance gave her a nod and squeezed Keith’s hand. To his surprise, Keith squeezed back. That little gesture made his heart glow.

After everyone settled down, Shiro and Allura redirected their concentration to the business of the day. 

Lance didn’t let go of Keith’s hand all throughout the meeting. He secretly wondered how he would be able to bear having his hand by itself ever again. 

***

After gathering what supplies they could from the planet they were on, the team launched off for another period of extended travel. It was safe to say that no one enjoyed them. The lions could basically fly on autopilot most of the time, but the paladins had to stay alert. And though they were connected by the comms, it was still a lonely experience, especially for Lance, who only had Kaltenecker to accompany him. He had not anticipated how strong his desire to be with Keith would be. It was bearable; it just made him restless. 

They had been flying for about four hours before something interesting happened.

“Alright, we’re going to bypass this asteroid field, then use that large gas planet’s gravity briefly to pull us along,” Coran instructed. 

Coran was navigating their journey to Earth by using a holographic map he had taken from the Castle and his own knowledge. They were all very thankful for their Space Uncle. 

“Okay team, stay close together,” Keith said. 

“Is everyone doing alright?” Shiro asked over Keith’s shoulder.

“Yeah Lance, are you missing Keith yet?” Pidge teased, her smug tone coming in clear through the comms. 

“No! I mean, yes, but I’m fine!” Lance blurted out. 

Lance felt a blush spread across his cheeks and was grateful no one could see him. 

Keith blushed hard and his grip on the handlebars loosened for just a moment. Then he cleared his throat and focused on the approaching gas planet instead. 

“Pidge,” Shiro warned, his Dad voice coming through. 

“Sorry Shiro!” Pidge squeaked. 

Shiro wasn’t mad in the least though. He laughed, prompting the rest of the team, aside from Keith and Lance, to laugh along. Lance just giggled nervously with a blush lingering at the tips of his ears. 

Keith reached up to switch his comm to private before asking Lance, “You miss me?” 

Lance hadn’t expected the question. His heart melted at the innocence in his voice. 

He made sure to switch his comm to private before replying, “Of course I do, babe. You’re my boyfriend after all.”

Keith felt his cheeks burn as he dipped his head. 

“I miss you too,” he mumbled. 

Keith pushed Black’s handlebars forward and sped up. Lance grinned to himself and followed after Keith in Red. 

“Wow, you’re in deep,” Shiro chimed in.

Keith jumped and turned to look at Shiro, who was hanging off the back of his chair with a smirk. 

Keith just furrowed his eyebrows and faced forward again. 

“Shut up,” he muttered. 

Shiro laughed and slapped a hand on Keith’s shoulder. 

“But seriously. There’s nothing wrong with feeling the way you do, Keith. I think it might be good for you to open up more,” he said. 

Keith contemplated what Shiro said. Despite accepting who he was and finding his mom, there were still walls that Keith had up, notably having to do with letting someone into his heart. But even after just a day of officially being together, Keith could already feel Lance knocking down those walls, with his sweet words and safe presence. It was an inexplicable feeling.

He always had trouble opening up, but this time, he didn’t want to consider the consequences. He just wanted to dive right in.

***

Once the paladins had been flying for Coran’s “designated number of quintants for optimal performance”, they stopped over on a small uninhabited planet. Despite the fact that it was daytime for that planet’s cycle, the team agreed to get some rest before starting up again.

Lance was admittedly tired, but he really wanted to spend some time with Keith. After changing into his pajamas, he marched right up to the Black Lion and knocked on its jaw. 

After a few seconds, Black’s jaw opened and Keith peeked out, dressed in his day clothes. 

“Lance? What are you doing here?” he asked.

Lance smiled innocently at Keith.

“I was wondering if you wanted your first lesson in love,” Lance said. 

Keith’s gaze softened. He stepped to the side to indicate that Lance could come in. 

Instead, Lance held his hand out to Keith and cocked his head. Keith rolled his eyes then took Lance’s hand, using it to help him into Black. 

Lance didn’t let go of Keith’s hand as they walked into Black’s cockpit. He led them over to Keith’s makeshift cot in the back of the room, something that all of the paladins had set up in their lions. 

“Can we sit here?” Lance asked. 

Keith nodded and they both took a seat. 

“So,” Lance said. “I thought we should start with talking. Like, the kind of stuff you say to your partner so they know how much you like them.” 

Keith’s eyebrows arched up, but he nodded along. 

“Okay so, I’ll go first,” Lance said.

He gently took both of Keith’s hands and looked right into his eyes. 

He’s so pretty, Lance thought, getting a little distracted. 

He shook himself a little then tried to organize his jumble of thoughts about Keith. 

“Keith. You’re so pretty, you know that? I don’t know how I got so lucky to be yours. I love your eyes; they’re this crazy gray-purple color that I’ve never seen anywhere else,” he said. 

Lance plucked up the courage to reach out and tuck a lock of raven hair behind Keith’s ear, taking note of the way he shivered at that.

“I really really want to kiss your right now,” he said, no trace of embarrassment in his voice. 

Keith’s eyes went wide at that, but he managed to keep looking at Lance. Lance shifted his gaze from Keith’s lips to his eyes. 

“Ever since we kissed last night I’ve wanted to feel your lips on mine again. Maybe a little softer this time though.” 

He laughed as Keith pouted at him, but it wasn’t long before Keith’s frown melted into a dreamy smile. 

“What’s stopping you?” he asked. 

Lance leaned in just a little closer, prompting Keith to close his eyes. 

Then he whispered, “I want you to say something back first.”

He slid his hand away from Keith’s jaw and pulled back with a grin, holding back a laugh. Keith huffed and pushed at Lance’s chest, then crossed his arms over his own. 

“Aww babe, don’t be like that,” Lance cooed. 

He leaned over and placed his hand on Keith’s knee. His leg flinched a little at that, but he refused to look at Lance. 

“I was just teasing you, Keith. But I really do want to hear what you have to say about me. It would make me feel like this is a two-sided relationship,” Lance told him, a tinge of worry slipping through in that last part.

Keith looked back at Lance and sighed. He wasn’t truly that upset, and he couldn’t stay mad at Lance, especially when he was looking at him with such a fond smile. And he did pick up on that last part. He did want to show Lance that this was an equal relationship.

Keith turned his body towards Lance again and scooted closer. 

“Just don’t tease me when I’m that open, okay?” he said. 

“I won’t,” Lance promised. 

Keith took another breath and stared down at his lap. He wasn’t sure what to say. 

As if he heard his thoughts, Lance said, “Just tell me what you like about me. Or maybe talk about things you want to do with me.” 

Keith nodded at him and maintained eye contact, though shakily. 

“Lance. You make me feel...like no one else ever has. I really like holding your hand. It makes me feel steady.”

Keith’s eyes dropped down to where their hands were still joined. Lance watched his smile grow as he continued talking. 

“You’ve been so sweet to me. Not just now but always. We might’ve fought in the beginning, but you were always looking out for me. I hope I can do the same for you. You deserve the world, no, the universe.”

He looked up again, pupils blown wide. 

“And I really really want to kiss you right now,” he said.

Lance already felt like he had the universe because of Keith’s words. His stomach was jittery and he suddenly became hyper-aware of his hand on Keith’s knee, and the other still holding Keith’s. 

But Lance forced himself to focus on what Keith said. 

He smirked and let go of Keith’s knee to trace his fingers along his jaw. 

“If you want,” he whispered. 

Finally, he closed the gap between them and pressed his lips to Keith’s. Keith smiled against his lips, and his heart glowed at that. 

Keith heeded his advice and kept the kiss softer, shyly moving his lips with Lance’s. Lance moved his hand up to thumb at Keith’s cheek and pull him closer. 

Lance was starting to feel dizzy, thoughts completely incoherent. All he could think about was kissing Keith. Keith’s lips were chapped but still soft. He was quickly getting addicted to the feeling of kissing those lips, trying to memorize them with his own. 

Keith pulled back all of a sudden, panting. Lance realized that Keith had probably been holding his breath while they kissed. 

He squeezed Keith’s hand and said, “Aww honey, you have to remember to breathe.”

Keith looked at him with a smile that said _I didn’t know any better._

Lance chuckled and pressed a kiss to Keith’s forehead before standing up. 

“I think that’ll conclude your class for today. Congratulations, you passed with flying colors!” he said with a grin. 

But Keith looked up at him with sad eyes. Lance’s smile fell.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I don’t want you to go,” Keith said. 

Lance closed his eyes. He wanted to be strong. He wanted to be the responsible one and say they should get some rest without each other as a distraction. But he couldn’t say no when Keith was looking at him like that. 

“Okay,” he said, opening his eyes. “Scoot over.”

Keith smiled like a kid who had just been rewarded with candy. He crawled over to the side of the bed closest to the wall and pulled the blanket over him. Then he turned his head to look back at Lance expectantly. 

Lance sighed and crawled in after him. Keith flipped over to face Lance properly. He gave him a fond smile before closing his eyes. 

The small space left just a sliver of room between him and Keith. He almost pulled Keith to him by instinct, but stopped himself.

“Hey Keith?” he said. 

Keith cracked an eye open. 

“Yeah?” 

“Can I- uh, can I hold you?” Lance managed to ask. 

Keith gazed into Lance’s eyes, touched again by his sweetness. He scooted closer then closed his eyes again. 

“Yeah,” he said. 

Lance happily wrapped his arms around Keith’s body and pulled him close, settling Keith’s head beneath his so that his messy, black hair tickled his chin. Lance couldn’t help but stare down at Keith in adoration, noticing how the boy nuzzled closer to his chest. 

_This can’t be real,_ he thought to himself. 

He lifted a hand and ran it through Keith’s hair, as if he wanted to make sure he really was in this moment. Keith stirred under his touch but didn’t open his eyes or move away. After Lance combed his fingers through his hair a few times, he let his hand settle around Keith’s neck and pressed a last kiss to the top of Keith’s hair. 

Lance closed his eyes and let himself drift off to sleep with nothing but happy thoughts.


	2. Nicknames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance teaches Keith about nicknames.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read the notes at the end if you want updates about me!

“Lance, wake up.”

When Lance opened his eyes, he was delighted to find Keith still in his arms, staring at him with those night-sky eyes and his hair fluffed out around his face. Lance gave him a sleepy grin. 

“Morning,” he said. 

Keith smiled back but pushed lightly at Lance’s chest. 

“You were holding me so tight I couldn’t get out,” he told him, lip quirking up.

Lance just laughed and pulled Keith closer. 

“I guess we shouldn’t get out of bed then,” he sighed.

Keith giggled but continued pushing against Lance. 

“C’mon Lance, you know we have to get up,” he said, a little breathless from laughing. 

“ _Finee,_ ” Lance groaned. “Let’s go save the universe.” 

Lance finally let go of Keith and rolled out of bed. Keith sat up and slid his feet off the side of the bed. 

“You should probably get back to Red and suit up,” he said. 

Lance turned around and smiled brightly at Keith. 

“Can I get a kiss first?” he asked.

Keith looked up at Lance fondly. Lance was still in disbelief that Keith looked at him like that, with his soft eyes and gentle smile. It astonished Lance even more that he was the only one Keith looked at that way. 

Keith rolled his eyes in false annoyance and said, “You really like kissing me, don’t you?” 

Lance stepped closer and raised a hand to cup Keith’s cheek. Keith’s skin prickled under the touch but he didn’t move away.

“You like kissing me too, don’t you?” Lance asked, a little unsure. 

Keith smiled up at Lance. 

“Yeah,” he said. 

Lance’s face lit up. He leaned down and kissed Keith deeply. He was becoming familiar with the way Keith tasted and felt, and he loved the fact that he could associate the euphoric dizziness in his head with one person, one feeling. 

Lance retracted with a loud smack. He thumbed over Keith’s cheek scar one last time before straightening up. 

“I should go,” he said. 

“Yeah,” Keith replied dreamily, eyes still half-lidded. 

Lance shook his head and giggled. 

_How’d I get such a cute boyfriend?_ he wondered to himself. 

“I’ll see you later, okay?” he told Keith. 

Keith nodded in response. Then he got up from the bed and walked over to the spot where he deposited his armor the night before, picking up his helmet.

Lance barely resisted the urge to push Keith back onto the bed and kiss the life out of him. He forced himself to turn around and walked out of the Black Lion, only consoling himself with the thought that he would be with Keith again soon. 

***

For the day’s voyage, the rest of the team made the wise decision of leaving Keith and Lance alone in their lions, so they could talk all “lovey-dovey” if they wanted, as Pidge so eloquently put it. But Kaltenecker and Keith’s wolf stayed with them, respectively. 

As soon as they were set on a steady course, Lance flicked his comm onto private and said, “Ready for your second lesson?” 

Lance’s voice caught him a little off-guard, but Keith was happy to hear from him anyways. He switched his comm on private as well and replied, “Sure.” 

“Alright!” Lance grinned to himself and leaned back in his chair, as the journey was going pretty smoothly. “I thought we’d go over nicknames today. Y’know, like terms of endearment.” 

Keith thought back to the few instances when Lance had called him “babe” or “honey”, and his heart tightened. 

“Okay,” he said. 

Lance thought of the adorable face Keith made when he was curious as he spoke. “I know it can seem silly sometimes, but couples call each other nicknames to show that they’re important to each other. It makes their relationship unique from the friendships they have with other people. You following?” 

“Yeah. Is it kind of like...claiming ownership over each other?” Keith asked.

Lance straightened up, a little surprised by Keith’s rather blunt wording. “Well, I wouldn’t put it that way. It’s more like...saying you belong to each other. But it also makes your partner feel special, and that’s what’s important.”

“I like it when you call me ‘babe’,” Keith told him, voice a little quieter. 

Lance felt like the wind was knocked out of him when he heard Keith say that. Sure he figured that Keith didn’t mind him calling him nicknames (because he didn’t punch him across the face when he did so), but he didn’t know that he actually liked it. Just the thought that he was doing something right made him feel like he was on top of the world. 

“Keith, babe, your honesty is going to be the death of me,” he said. 

Keith smiled to himself, thinking of Lance’s cheeks burning red.

“Anyways,” Lance continued. “Some common nicknames are babe, honey, sweetheart, love, darling, and so on. Sometimes people make up nicknames for their partner and that makes it even more special.”

“Is that what you were doing when you started calling me ‘mullet’?” Keith asked, his voice a teasing lilt.

“Uh, no, I mean...maybe? Honestly when this all started I didn’t even realize I was falling for you,” Lance admitted. 

“I don’t think either of us realized,” Keith said, thinking back to their earlier interactions.

“But I’m glad we managed to figure it out,” Lance finished. 

The two sat in silence for a moment, caught up in warm, dizzy thoughts of each other, despite not being physically together. 

“And you definitely don’t have to force the nicknames. For me it’s unintentional, like a habit,” Lance continued. “You can keep calling me Lance if that’s what you’re comfortable with.” 

“I’m willing to try things out, darling,” Keith told him. 

Admittedly, the word felt a little odd on his tongue, but it felt right. 

Lance on the other hand, couldn’t help but sink into his chair with a big, stupid grin once he realized Keith actually called him “darling”. The word sounded especially sweet coming from Keith. He said it with a hint of a Southern accent, and Lance wondered if Keith’s dad called his mom that.

“Lance? Are you alright?” Keith asked. 

Lance sighed dramatically and said, “You’re killing me, sweetheart.”

Lance listened to Keith’s laughter filter in through the comms with a happy smile. 

“Well, that concludes your lesson for today. You’re doing really well!” Lance said. 

Keith smiled and said, “You’re a great teacher.”

Lance held his hand over his heart and replied, “Aww, thanks babe. I’m happy I finally get to show off my skills.”

Keith rolled his eyes, but he had come to find Lance’s bravado endearing. 

“Yeah, yeah, we should probably reconnect with the others now,” he said. 

“If you say so, mi amor,” Lance sighed.

Keith reached up to flick his public comm back on and found that Coran and Hunk were currently engaged in an argument over whether Earth food or Altean food was better, with the rest of the team occasionally chiming in only to be shut down. 

Keith sighed deeply and accepted that he had to return to reality. 

***

That night (or at least, what Coran determined to be night in their current solar system), the whole team landed on a desert-like planet and gathered together for a dinner of roots that Hunk and Romelle had gathered. 

When he sat down, Lance found Keith right beside him, and that notion filled him with an unexpected warmth. He looked at him, admiring the way the light from the fire highlighted his sharp jaw and illuminated his eyes, almost making the dark purple seem lavender. 

“Lance, stop ogling your boyfriend and get some food!” Pidge yelled from across the fire. 

Lance flinched, then shook himself out of his trance as everyone laughed. When he recovered, he laughed along with them. Wow, he was really gone if he could get caught staring that easily. 

He snuck a glance at Keith and found him staring back at him. There was a smile playing at his lips, and an adorable blush across his cheeks. Lance felt himself blush back before he stood up to get some food from Hunk. 

As they ate, Allura projected a map above the fire and updated the team on how far along they were in their journey. Lance frowned when he saw that they were only about halfway to Earth. His eyes traced the winding line from their red dot all the way to the blue and green. How long would it take? How much will have changed by then?

Before his thoughts could spiral completely, a voice brought him back to reality. 

“What are you thinking about?” Keith asked. 

Lance looked at him momentarily before averting his eyes to the fire.

“Home is farther away than I thought,” he said. 

At that moment, everyone else’s conversations came to a lull so that they could all hear what Lance said. They sat in silence. 

“According to my calculations, it shouldn’t take more than half a deca-phoeb,” Pidge said. “About four months. But yeah, it feels like a long time.”

Keith stood up. 

“I know that this isn’t ideal, but we don’t have any other choice,” Keith said. “We’ve gotta get back to Earth and Pidge’s dad. And yes, it’s a long journey, but we’re going to get through it as a team.”

“Yeah, we’ve got each other!” Hunk chimed in. 

Everyone’s frowns started to turn into smiles as they looked at one another. Lance meanwhile was staring adoringly after Keith. It was still amazing to him how he had gone from the outspoken loner in the corner to a pep-talk-giving leader in a space war. 

“What’s the first thing you guys are going to do when you get back to Earth?” Hunk asked the group. 

“Apologize to my mom,” Pidge grumbled. 

“Oh shoot! I keep forgetting that you ran away from home,” Hunk said. He reached over and patted his small friend on the shoulder. 

“What’s this?” Coran asked.

While Pidge started to explain her story to a very concerned Coran, Lance turned to Keith, who had sat back down.

“How’d you get so good at pep talks?” he joked.

Keith chuckled. “Guess I learned from Shiro. It’s nothing though.”

“It’s not nothing! You’re amazing,” Lance said. “You’ve become such a great leader.”

Keith dipped his head down and smiled. 

“You were a big part of that, y’know,” he murmured.

“What?” 

Keith looked up at him. 

“You believed in me when no one else did, Lance. I was stubborn and _terrified_ , but you pushed me to become the leader I needed to be,” he said. 

“Me? No way,” Lance laughed nervously. 

Keith grinned and shook his head. 

“It’s crazy to me that you don’t see how important you are,” he said. 

Lance’s cheeks burned as he turned away from his boyfriend.

“What about you, Lance?” Hunk called out. 

“Huh?” he said.

“What’s the first thing you’ll do when we get home?” he asked. 

Lance leaned back on his hands and stared up at the sky. He could only think of one thing.

“I’m gonna see my family,” he said. 

Hunk gave him a sympathetic smile. 

“Keith?” Pidge said. 

Keith looked over at Krolia. 

“I’m gonna take my mom to visit my dad,” he said. 

“Of course,” Hunk said. 

Krolia smiled gently and reached over to pat her son’s leg. 

“I’d like to try your Earthen food,” Romelle chimed in. 

“Oh, I’ve got to take you guys to Cuba,” Lance said. 

“And I have to take you guys to Samoa,” Hunk added on.

As everyone started to talk about their favorite foods, Lance leaned closer to Keith. He really wanted to touch him; he hoped that was okay. He slipped his arm around him in what he hoped was a nonchalant way, but as soon as he felt Keith jump under his touch he pulled his arm away. Shoot.

“Sorry, I should have asked you first,” he said quickly. He wanted to punch himself for not asking first; he knew Keith wasn’t comfortable with all this.

“No, no I was just surprised,” Keith said. 

He scooted closer to Lance until their legs were touching. 

“I don’t mind,” he said, smiling. 

Lance grinned and put his arm back around Keith. To his delight, Keith leaned against him, his cheek on his shoulder. 

He looked down at his dark hair with a sweet smile. _Mine,_ he thought. _I’m going to make this boy mine._

***

Slowly the conversation died down and everyone decided to go to sleep. Keith had dozed off on Lance’s shoulder, and Lance almost didn’t want to wake him because he looked so cute. But Lance couldn’t move, so he gently shook him.

“Babe. Let’s go to Red, yeah?” he said. 

Keith nodded against his shoulder. He slipped his hand down to Lance’s and held it. Lance was surprised that he took the initiative, and he couldn’t help smiling because of it. 

As he helped Keith to his feet then guided him over to Red, he struggled to think of a time when he had been happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! It's been a long time. I've been writing fic all this time, but I have trouble finishing pieces lol. I was super disappointed with Voltron's ending, but that isn't going to stop me from writing what I love. I plan to finish this series, write some smut, then get started on a long AU. And yes, all my works will feature Klance. Subscribe for more! :)


	3. PDA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Keith talk about PDA and cuddle more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter today. Some will be longer than others. I'm making good progress on my fic, so expect weekly updates!

A few days later, the team landed on a planet dotted with deep blue, sparkling lakes. After dinner, Lance asked Keith to go on a walk with him. 

They held hands as they strolled alongside a crater-like lake. Lance traced his thumb over Keith’s leather glove, reminding himself that this was real. 

“I thought we should have a little lesson on PDA,” he said.

Keith’s head cocked to the side. “What’s that?” he asked. 

“Oh um, it stands for public displays of affection,” he explained. He still found it adorable how little Keith knew about romance. 

“So...like holding hands in front of the others and stuff?” Keith questioned, one of his eyebrows quirking up. 

“Yeah, any kind of affection. Why don’t we sit here?” Lance said.

The two sat on the edge of the crater, dangling their legs over the side so that their shoes just brushed the water. This planet was surprisingly beautiful; it had lush, seaweed-like plants, soft purple soil, and a few oddly-colored flowers, but the miles of blue water only made Lance miss Earth more. He tried not to think about it and focused instead on the gorgeous boy beside him. 

He started, “Some people do PDA because they want to show off and let everyone know that they’re in a relationship, but I think the real reason why PDA exists is to show your partner that you’re not ashamed of them.”

Keith stared at him intently, clearly listening to every word he said. Lance hadn’t told anyone his thoughts on PDA before, so he was flattered that Keith was hearing him out. 

“You’re comfortable with them no matter what. And that’s really important. But sometimes,” he smirked and leaned closer. “You just can’t keep your hands off of each other.” 

Keith laughed, a bubbly, raspy sound that Lance wished he could hear forever. He chuckled along. 

“But there’s no pressure, Keith. We can take things as slow as you want. We don’t even have to kiss in front of other people. Whatever you’re comfortable with,” he said. 

Keith nodded and considered it. 

“I did like having your arm around me the other night. And I wanna hold your hand all the time, so that’s fine. But I don’t think I’m okay with kissing yet. Or too much touching. Maybe just...arms and hands?” he said, grimacing at his crude explanation.

Lance really wanted to pull Keith’s face to his and kiss the frown right off his lips, but he knew that would be too much. 

_Ugh, why am I so needy?_ he thought, internally rolling his eyes at himself.

“Of course. And if you ever change your mind about any of it, just let me know,” Lance said. 

He placed his hand on top of Keith’s, not pushing him to respond to his touch in any way, just letting him know he was there. 

To his surprise, Keith turned his hand over and intertwined his fingers with Lance’s. Then he leaned in so close to Lance’s face that Lance could feel his breath on his cheeks. 

“Would you want to kiss me? In front of the others?” Keith asked. 

Lance blinked a few times. “I um…”

Keith’s gaze was steady, eyes seemingly searching Lance’s for an answer.

At this point Lance wasn’t afraid to be honest. 

“I want to kiss you all the time so, yeah I wouldn’t mind,” he admitted. 

Keith’s eyes widened and scarlet spread across his cheeks. He surged forward all of a sudden and pressed his lips to Lance’s. Lance hummed in surprise, hand coming up to cup Keith’s cheek. 

Keith kept the kiss soft and sweet, still too shy to take things any further. Lance responded in kind, only gently moving his lips. 

_He’s getting better at this…_ Lance thought hazily. 

Keith pulled away after a few seconds, leaving Lance breathless and a little flushed. He smirked at that. Lance thumbed over his cheek and gazed down at him. 

“That’s it for you lesson today. Ready to go back to the others?” he asked. 

Keith hummed and shifted to lean his head on Lance’s shoulder. 

“Let’s just sit here for a little,” he said. 

Lance nodded. He wrapped his arm around Keith and looked out at the lake before them. It reflected the light from this planet’s two moons and the infinite amount of stars above them. Sometimes, the unfamiliar and seemingly endless sky could make Lance feel lost and aimless. But with Keith right beside him, he felt grounded. 

He turned to kiss the top of Keith’s head, hoping that wasn’t too much. His heart glowed when, instead of flinching or pulling away, Keith closed his eyes and nuzzled closer. 

Lance laid his head on top of Keith’s and privately wished he could stay in this moment forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Subscribe for more! :)


	4. Kissing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get a little tense when Lance gives Keith a lesson on kissing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This chapter gets a little spicy, but it's soft spicy. Hope you enjoy!

The weeks plodded on, days bleeding into each other as they passed through multiple solar systems. The team settled into a routine, flying in formation for most of the day then meeting up after an allotted amount of hours to eat together, boost morale, and sleep. 

Lance and Keith were also settling into a routine. While flying, they kept things professional, for the most part. The others still teased them quite a bit, which they both learned to laugh along with. Sometimes when things were calm, they would switch to private and talk for a few hours. Lance did most of the talking, making Keith laugh with stories of his home life. 

As soon as they touched down on a planet, Lance would sprint over to Black and greet Keith with a hug and kiss on the cheek, which Keith gratefully accepted. Lance kept PDA to a minimum around the others, like he said he would, though he was finding Keith to be surprisingly clingy, latching to his side whenever possible. Not that Lance minded. At all. 

They slept together most of the time, switching between each other’s beds. The first time Keith asked for space, Lance was so worried that he had done something wrong he almost had a panic attack, but Keith had kissed him deeply and assured him that he just wanted to sleep alone that night. The soft, genuine look in his eyes had put Lance at ease. He wasn’t afraid from then on when Keith asked for space, and he wasn’t afraid to ask for it himself. 

But if Lance were being completely honest with himself, he was craving a little more. He wanted to be closer to Keith, touch him in more places, get to know him in more ways. He wrestled with the feeling for a few days, before concluding that it wasn’t an unreasonable want. He could want more love from his boyfriend; there was nothing wrong with that. But he would still take things slow, and make sure Keith was okay every step of the way. 

Lance decided to put his plan into action tonight.

“Kissing,” he said as soon as he sat down on Keith’s bed. 

“Kissing? We’ve kissed a bunch of times already,” Keith said. 

He knew by the look on Lance’s face when he knocked on Black’s jaw that he was in for another lesson. He was just a little surprised by the subject matter.

Lance laughed and put an arm around Keith, squeezing his shoulder affectionately. 

“Yes honey, we’ve kissed on the lips plenty. And I’ve kissed you on the cheek and stuff a couple times. But there’s lots more to kissing than that.” Lance moved his free hand as he spoke, his face animated.

“Kissing is more than two people putting their lips together. A kiss can say lots of different things, like ‘I missed you’ or ‘You mean a lot to me’. I guess what I’m trying to say is kisses are meaningful,” he explained.

“And for another thing,” Lance slipped his hand back from around Keith. “There’s lots more places to kiss than the lips.”

Lance smirked at Keith, who watched him with wide, curious eyes. 

“Here,” Lance said. 

He held his hands out to his sides. 

“Kiss me somewhere you haven’t kissed me before.”

Keith looked intrigued by the proposition. After a second of consideration, he started flitting his gaze up and down Lance’s body. Eventually, his eyes settled on Lance’s cheek. He leaned closer and cupped Lance’s cheek before pressing a light kiss to it. Lance chuckled as Keith pulled back and looked into his eyes. 

“That was sweet,” Lance cooed, eyes softening as he looked at Keith. 

Keith smiled at Lance, happy with the praise. 

“My turn,” Lance said, voice deepening a little. 

Keith felt his skin prickle as Lance took his hand from his cheek and brought it to his lips. Lance looked right into his eyes as he kissed the sliver of skin exposed by his glove. Keith shivered. 

“Can I take this off?” Lance asked, lips still against Keith’s skin. 

“Yeah,” Keith replied breathlessly. 

Lance peeled off Keith’s leather glove and let it drop on the bed. 

Keith sucked in a breath as Lance dragged his lips over his knuckles. He had no idea that that would feel good. 

Lance kissed the center of Keith’s hand again before turning over his palm. Keith watched him, paralyzed, as he planted feather-light kisses to each of his fingers. He pressed a lingering kiss to the inside of Keith’s wrist, where he could feel how fast his heart was beating, before retracting. 

Lance still held Keith’s hand as he lifted his head. He smirked to himself when he saw how red Keith’s face was. Keith only responded by ducking his head and avoiding Lance’s gaze. 

“I’m guessing you liked that?” Lance teased. 

“Shut up,” Keith muttered. 

Lance laughed and nuzzled his nose against Keith’s hand before setting it down on the bed.

“Your turn,” he said. 

When Keith lifted his gaze, Lance was surprised by the intensity he found there. Knowing Keith, despite his denials of their rivalry, he wanted to get Lance back for making him so flustered. His eyes flickered up and down before focusing on Lance’s neck. Keith wasn’t sure how effective a kiss there would actually be, but he knew the neck was a sensitive area. 

Keith smirked and moved in all at once, brushing his lips against Lance’s neck.

“Whoa, what are you…” 

Lance’s words caught in his throat as Keith trailed kisses up his neck. He’d never felt something like this before. The skin there felt like it was set alight with every touch of Keith’s lips. When Keith started kissing under his jaw, Lance had to bite back a whimper.

Lance didn’t realize how fast his heart was beating until Keith pulled back and pressed his thumb to Lance’s pulse point. His eyes widened with delight when he felt the quick thumping. He looked up and found Lance blushing deeply. Lance met his gaze with a shy smile. 

“You got me,” he admitted. 

Keith grinned and sat back. By the way he cocked his head, Lance guessed that he was waiting for Lance to take his next turn. Lance sighed and looked for a good place to kiss. 

He brought his hand up to the junction of Keith’s neck and shoulder, fingers brushing over the bare skin not covered by Keith’s shirt. Keith wasn’t used to anyone touching him there. He couldn’t help but shiver. Lance tugged his collar down a little before glancing up at him. 

“Can I?” he asked.

Keith just nodded. 

Lance stretched Keith’s collar over his shoulder and kissed the exposed skin lightly. He was a little surprised by how smooth the skin was. He wanted to let his hand rub over it, maybe even explore a little lower…

_No!_ Lance reprimanded himself. _Don’t go thinking like that._

He slid Keith’s collar up his shoulder, letting it settle back into place. When he looked up, he found Keith looked at him with soft eyes again, a gentler pink blush dusting his cheeks. 

Keith and Lance went back and forth a few more times. Keith tried out a kiss to Lance’s forehead; Lance kissed Keith’s nose, laughing at the way his face scrunched up when he did so. Keith responded by kissing the top of Lance’s hand. Lance smoothed Keith’s hair down and pecked the side of his head. They kissed little parts of each other, staying innocent and sweet in their touches. 

And the gentle intimacy was satisfying Lance. They were exploring each other’s bodies, seeing what the other liked, without any pressure or urgency. It was exactly what he needed.

After getting Keith to giggle by kissing right under his chin, Lance pulled back with a laugh and said, “Okay, I think we’re ready to move on.” 

Keith settled back into a smile and looked at Lance with his eyebrows curved up. 

Lance met his eyes and continued his lesson, saying, “Kisses can also vary in pressure, especially kisses on the lips.”

Keith’s eyes widened when Lance lifted a hand to his cheek, pulling him closer. 

“I can kiss you softly,” he murmured. 

Lance closed the distance between them, sliding their lips together gently. He only kissed him for a few seconds before pulling away. When he opened his eyes, he found that Keith’s eyes were sparkling, and he was convinced that he’d never seen anything more beautiful. 

“Or I could kiss you harder,” Lance continued. 

He looked expectantly at Keith, who nodded. Lance couldn’t deny that his heart was pounding; he wasn’t sure how well this part of the lesson would go. But he wanted to try it. 

Lance pulled Keith in again, but this time he tilted his head to the side and pushed against him, moving his lips faster. Keith hummed in surprise and scooted back a little to accommodate Lance’s weight. Lance traced his tongue along Keith’s closed lips, a gentle question despite the passion between them. Keith parted his lips instantly and let Lance in. 

Lance felt his face burning as he tangled his tongue with Keith’s. Quite honestly, he had no idea what he was doing; he was just following what he’d read online and seen in movies. But Keith was responding so perfectly that he thought he must be doing something right. 

Lance let his hand on Keith’s cheek slide down to tangle in his hair while placing his other on Keith’s thigh. Keith jerked a bit at the movement then leaned into it. One of his hands came up to clutch at Lance’s shirt, unsure of what to do with itself. 

Lance felt like he was on fire and Keith was stoking the flame. He liked being this close to Keith, getting to see parts of him he hadn’t shown anyone else. Tasting him, touching him, it was perfect.

He gently bit down on Keith’s bottom lip. Keith moaned into his mouth then jerked away all of a sudden, both of them panting. 

They took a moment to catch their breath. Shoot, Lance really lost himself there. 

“Lance…” Keith murmured. 

Lance looked up into his eyes. He couldn't decipher Keith’s expression. His eyes were half-lidded, but there was still something bright in them. Fear, curiosity? He wasn't sure. Keith’s breath was shaky as well.

“We should go to sleep,” Keith said, diverting his gaze. 

Lance paused, then agreed, “Yeah. Yeah, let’s do that.”

Keith kicked his legs up and settled into his half of the bed, with Lance quickly following him. Lance noted that Keith had his back turned to him, and he wondered if he’d taken things too far. 

“Hey Keith?” he said. 

“Yeah?”

“Are you okay?” 

Keith looked over his shoulder, his violet eyes still indecipherable. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. That was just...a little overwhelming,” he said. 

Lance’s heart sank. He took things too far. He promised he would be gentle and slow, and he wasn’t. His gaze fell, blinking rapidly. Why did he have to be so selfish? A storm of insecurity and anxiety started to brew behind his eyes.

Keith immediately caught on to his mood change. 

“You didn't do anything wrong!” he assured him. 

He flipped around and clasped Lance’s hands in his.

“Lance, you were perfect,” Keith said. 

Lance fought through the self-deprecating thoughts and looked up at Keith. And when he did, he found that Keith’s eyes were full of concern and care for him. 

“You stopped when I told you to, so everything’s okay,” Keith said. “I really do like kissing you, I mean, not just kissing you, I like being with you, and I’m happy with what you taught me today.”

He smiled and reached up to cup Lance’s cheek, thumbing a tear away from his watery eyes. To Lance, Keith’s words were like an anchor, and he held onto them, repeated them to himself. 

“I’m just sensitive still. But we’ll get there eventually. And I couldn’t ask for anyone better to guide me through it,” Keith said softly. 

Lance brought his hand up shakily and held Keith’s wrist in place. 

“Do you really mean that?” he asked. 

“Of course I do,” Keith said. 

Lance took a shuddering breath as the storm inside him calmed. He turned his head and kissed Keith’s palm. Then he looked back at Keith, eyebrows still curved.

“I set up that lesson because I wanted more from you, but I was too scared to ask for it. I’m sorry Keith, I should’ve asked, I feel so stupid now,” he rambled. 

“Lance, darling,” Keith said.

He reached up and ran his fingers through Lance’s hair. 

“You should never be afraid to be honest with me. It’s always better that way,” he said. 

“I know, I’m sorry,” Lance said, still frowning. 

“And you don’t have to be sorry either,” Keith said sternly. “Now, what exactly do you want more of?”

“I um…” Lance trailed off. 

Lance stared back at Keith, a little startled by the intensity in his eyes. He genuinely wanted to know. Not only that, he wanted to see if he could satisfy Lance’s wants. Lance was no longer afraid to tell Keith everything that he had been suppressing.

“I want to kiss you more often. And for longer. I want to touch you in more places,” Lance confessed. He let his hand wander into Keith’s hair. “I’m sorry if I’m being clingy, but I love being close to you.”

“Stop apologizing,” Keith snapped.

Lance was about to say “sorry”, but he bit his lip and nodded instead. 

Keith scooted closer until their noses were almost touching. 

“It’s perfectly fine that you want more, you’re not being unreasonable. I don’t mind giving any of those things to you. Just ask first, and I’ll tell you when it’s too much,” he said, smiling. 

Lance smiled back, positively glowing inside. 

“Thank you,” he murmured. “You’re amazing.”

He leaned up and kissed Keith on the forehead. _I love you,_ he thought to himself. But he wouldn’t say it, it was too soon. 

“You’re amazing too,” Keith replied. “You okay to sleep now?”

“Yeah,” Lance said.

Keith thumbed Lance’s cheek one last time then turned back around. 

Lance stared lovingly at the back of his head. God, he was so lucky. He really wanted to hold Keith tonight, but he wasn’t sure if that would be too much. 

“Um, Keith?” he said. 

“Yeah?” 

“Can I hold you?”

Keith looked back at him over his shoulder, a gentle smile tugging at his lips.

“Sure.”

Lance pulled Keith’s back to his chest and overlapped their legs together. 

“This is called spooning by the way,” he said. 

Keith chuckled. “Why is it called that?”

Lance laughed as well. “It’s supposed to be similar to the way two spoons fit together.”

“Hmm.”

Keith nudged his hips closer to Lance, pressing against his crotch just a little. 

“I like the sound of that,” he said. 

_I’m so screwed,_ Lance thought to himself. 

Keith’s neck was enticingly close, but Lance was definitely not going to push him any further today. He settled for burying his nose in the ends of his hair and breathing in his faintly smoky scent. 

“Goodnight,” Keith whispered.

“Goodnight,” Lance whispered back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Subscribe for more! :)


	5. Gifts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance teaches Keith about gift-giving while they continue to explore their relationship.

It was another few weeks before Lance came up with a new lesson. 

After their meal, Keith had wandered off to enjoy being in nature before they had to be cooped up in their metal lions again while Lance helped Hunk and Romelle clean up. Lance was secretly grateful for the momentary separation, because it allowed him time to find something for the first part of his lesson. 

One of the first things that Lance noticed when they landed on this planet was the purple wildflowers sprinkled throughout the fields. It was admittedly hard to think of sleeping in the middle of the day (the time at which their break happened to be), but the warm afternoon light allowed him to see that the flowers were almost the exact same shade as Keith’s eyes. After they finished cleaning up, he picked one that was in full bloom and pulled Allura and Romelle aside. They excitedly helped him craft the flower into what he imagined, and he hugged them both in thanks. 

Lance found Keith sitting on a grassy bluff overlooking more fields below. 

“Hey,” Lance said. 

Keith turned to him with a smile, having heard his boyfriend’s footsteps a while ago. 

“Hi,” he replied. 

Lance sat down next to him cross-legged.

“I thought we’d talk about gifts for your lesson today,” he said. 

“Gifts?” Keith said, shifting to face his boyfriend. 

“Mmhm,” Lance affirmed. “Some people think it’s materialistic, but gifts can mean a lot. If you give your partner something that they really like, it means that you know them well.”

His eyes wandered as he talked, but they came back to Keith’s face at the end of each sentence. _He’s so pretty…_ Lance couldn’t help but think.

“Gifts don’t have to be store-bought. In fact, handmade gifts are even more special because they’re something unique that only you will have. And your partner took time to make it,” he continued. 

He smiled shyly as he reached into his pocket. 

“So...I have a gift for you,” he said.

Keith’s eyes widened as Lance pulled the newly-made necklace out of his pocket. He held it up by the cord so that the crystallized flower hung down. 

“The flowers on this planet remind me of your eyes, so I wanted to keep one. Allura helped me crystallize it with some sort of Altean magic and Romelle helped me braid the cord from grasses,” he explained. 

Keith just stared at the necklace, pink lips not moving.

Lance lowered the necklace and dipped his head down, blushing. 

“You don’t have to wear it, I know it’s kind of girly--” he rambled.

“I love it,” Keith interjected.

Lance looked up at him with wide eyes. 

“Really?” 

Keith nodded eagerly. He reached a hand out to touch the flower, running his thumb over the smooth petals. 

“It’s beautiful,” he murmured. 

Lance smiled at Keith’s awestruck expression. It suddenly occurred to him that Keith didn’t have many possessions, just his clothes, gloves, and knife really. Lance hoped he was giving him something that he would hold close to his heart. 

“Can I put it on you?” he asked. 

Keith nodded again and turned around so the back of his head was facing Lance. Lance looped the cord around his neck and tied it, lifting up his long hair to tuck it underneath. 

“There,” he said. 

Keith turned around, hand clasped around the bloom. He didn’t take his eyes off of it.

“Thank you,” he said softly. 

He looked up at Lance. 

“I have to find some way to repay you.”

Lance smiled and tilted his head toward Keith. 

“You don’t have to, darling. Gifts are supposed to be given without expecting something back,” he said. “I gave you that because I want you to remember how much I care about you every time you look at it.” 

Keith stared at Lance, a rosy blush dusting his cheeks. 

“I want that for you too,” he insisted. 

He let go of the necklace and reached out for Lance’s hand. 

“You mean so much to me,” he told him. “More than I can say.” 

Lance absolutely melted and squeezed Keith’s hand. 

“You too,” he replied. 

He lifted his other hand to cup Keith’s cheek, hoping Keith could read his body language by now. Keith’s eyes darted up and down his face for a moment before settling on his lips. His mouth dropped into a small “o” before he closed his eyes and leaned in. Their lips met smoothly; they were familiar with the taste and feeling of each other by now, but the sensation was no less exhilarating. Lance squeezed Keith’s hand as he shifted his body closer, chests almost touching. Keith’s free hand slid into Lance’s hair, gently gripping the locks. 

When they parted, Lance leaned his forehead against Keith’s, grinning like a fool. Keith opened his eyes to find Lance smiling and giggled in response. Lance laughed as well and pressed a light kiss to Keith’s nose, watching his face scrunch up. Keith laughed even harder and playfully shoved Lance into the grass. 

“Oof!” Lance grunted, landing on his back. Even when he wasn’t trying to be, his boyfriend was surprisingly strong. 

Keith laid on his side next to him, still giggling. Lance marveled at the sight before him: the corners of Keith’s eyes were pulled up from smiling, his mouth was open with laughter, teeth showing, hair falling in front of his eyes.

Keith stilled when he saw the way Lance was looking at him, eyes softened and lips slightly parted. 

“What?” he asked. 

“You’re beautiful,” Lance blurted out. 

Keith’s eyes shone with surprise as his face turned strawberry red. Then he smiled.

“You’re beautiful too,” Keith said, voice hushed and genuine.

Lance felt his cheeks warm as he stared back at his boyfriend. He suddenly felt like he wanted to touch him, be closer to him. He knew he should ask first.

“Can I touch you?” he asked. 

Keith tilted his head to the side. Lance was glad that he looked curious rather than alarmed or scared. 

“Where?” he asked. 

“I don’t know,” Lance admitted. 

His eyes slowly traveled down from Keith’s neck to his waist. 

“Your torso, I guess? I just want to try things out,” he said.

Keith edged a little closer, not taking his eyes off of Lance’s.

“Okay,” he said. 

Lance looked in his eyes one last time before reaching out and placing his hand on Keith’s shoulder. He watched Keith’s face carefully as he trailed his hand down to his waist. The touch was buffered by Keith’s shirt, but there was something so intimate about it. Lance liked it. He liked the way he could feel Keith’s waist taper down to his slim hips. He liked the way his hand fit in the space between Keith’s ribs and his hipbone. 

His eyes flickered up to Keith’s, and he found him staring at him in a way he didn’t recognize. There was softness and affection in that gaze, but something else as well. It was almost the same look as after Lance had given him his lesson on kissing. But this time Keith seemed more steady, more sure. 

Lance was surprised when Keith spoke first. 

“Can we kiss again?” Keith asked.

Lance beamed. 

“Of course we can,” he said. 

He leaned in and met Keith in the middle for a tender kiss. Lance kept his hand on Keith’s waist, just lightly holding him. That little bit of added closeness made Lance’s heart beat faster. It was exactly what he needed from Keith right then. 

Lance slowly pulled away. He smiled adoringly when he saw that Keith’s eyes were still closed. There was a satisfied smile on his lips, but he was breathing quickly through his nose. When he opened his eyes, Lance took a moment to admire his long, dark eyelashes, perfectly framing his eyes. 

“I think it’s time for bed,” Keith said. 

“Yeah,” Lance sighed. 

As much as he was enjoying his time with Keith, Lance had to admit that he was getting sleepy. Not only that, he was generally tired. Though they got regular meals and rest, the months of traveling were chipping away at him. Keith was one of the few things keeping him sane. Lance could tell that Keith was growing weary as well; he was a little more quiet and reserved, especially around the others. 

There was still about a month and a half left before they would get to Earth. Lance could only hope that they would fly by. 

Lance stood first, offering his hand to Keith. Keith smiled and took it, letting Lance pull him up. 

The two leaned against each other as they walked back to camp. When Lance looked down at Keith, he found that he was holding his necklace again, eyes glued to it. 

Keith caught Lance staring, but he showed no embarrassment or shame. 

“Thank you, Lance,” he said softly. “For everything.” 

Lance smiled and kissed the side of Keith’s head. 

“Thank _you,_ ” he said. 

Keith ducked his head down and looked ahead. 

The couple made their way to Black, quickly falling into bed and then asleep. 

***

A few nights later, Lance was surprised to hear a knock on Red’s jaw just as he was leaving to see Keith in Black. He pressed a button to open the jaw and found his boyfriend, already flushed red and holding his hands behind his back rather obviously.

“Hey babe,” he said, slowly starting to smile. 

“Hi,” Keith said. “I have uh--I mean, can I come in?” 

“Yeah,” Lance laughed and stepped aside. 

Keith followed Lance, still keeping his hands behind his back. Once inside, Lance turned to him, intending to tease him.

But before he could say anything, Keith blurted out, “I have a gift for you.”

Lance’s heart raced as Keith finally brought his back from behind him, revealing a small geode. The rock was dark gray and somewhat round. Half of it had been chipped away to reveal dark blue crystals inside. Lance gasped and stepped closer to Keith, lifting his hands up to take it. 

Keith ran a hand through his hair as he stuttered, “I know it’s stupid, I mean it’s just a rock--”

“It’s not stupid,” Lance interrupted. He cupped the geode in his hands and marveled at it. It was so pretty; the crystals caught the light at every angle. It warmed his heart to think that Keith thought of him when he saw this. 

“It just -- it reminded me of your eyes and how you’re beautiful inside and out and…” Keith trailed off when he saw the way Lance was looking at him. His blue eyes were wide, shining with happy tears. His smile quickly melted the worried look on Keith’s face. 

Lance held the geode in one hand and stepped forward to hold Keith’s hand in his free one. 

“I love it, Keith!” he exclaimed. “It’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever given me.”

Keith’s eyes lit up, and he grinned. Lance laughed and pulled Keith closer by his hand until they were almost nose-to-nose. 

“I’ll keep it forever,” he said. 

Keith’s eyebrows quirked up. “Forever?” he questioned. 

Whoops. That was the first time Lance had used a word like “forever” or “always” around Keith. Not that he hadn’t been thinking about it. A lot. He had never felt this way about anyone, and he wanted to slap his younger self for thinking he was ever “in love” before when really, he just had a crush. What he had with Keith was different. It had come slowly, gradually, until his and Keith’s lives were inseparably intertwined. They were at a point where Lance didn’t want to live a day without seeing Keith’s gorgeous, reassuring eyes and messy black mullet. It was true that they had only officially been together for a few months, but Lance knew, deep inside, that he needed Keith in his life. 

But he also knew that was too much to say right now. 

He smiled at Keith, confident and not at all deterred by Keith’s worried expression.

“Forever,” he affirmed. 

Keith stilled, and Lance panicked for a moment. Then Keith grabbed him by the front of his shirt and kissed him hard. Lance hummed contentedly and squeezed Keith’s hand. 

He could immediately tell that this kiss was different. It was more urgent, as if Keith needed something from him, something he couldn’t say. Lance wouldn’t push him on it. 

_If only he knew…_ Lance thought to himself. _I’d give him anything._

After several seconds, Keith pulled away from Lance with a wet smack. He let out a shaky breath and looked up at Lance, noticing his dazed expression. He averted his gaze.

“Sorry,” he muttered. 

He let go of Lance’s shirt and started to step away, but Lance tugged him back by his hand. 

“Don’t apologize,” he said quickly. 

He let go of Keith’s hand to cup his burning cheek, forcing him to look at him. Lance smiled sweetly. 

“You can kiss me however you’d like, babe,” he told him. “And whenever. You never have to apologize for wanting more. You told me that just the other night, remember?”

Keith’s brows were still furrowed, eyes darting around Lance’s face. Then, the tension in his face seemed to ease and he leaned up to kiss Lance again, this time chastely. Lance smiled into it. 

Keith’s hand slid up from his chest to the back of his neck. “I’m so grateful for you,” he said quietly. “You’re so good to me.” 

Lance felt his cheeks burn at that. He wrapped his arms around Keith and hugged him tight. 

“Aww, babe,” he cooed. 

He was still holding the geode. When they separated, he stepped away to place the geode on the storage crate he kept by his bed for a nightstand. Then he turned back to Keith. 

“Do you want to do anything else or do you wanna just sleep?” he asked. 

Keith walked towards him and the bed. “Sleep, I think.” 

“Sounds good,” Lance replied. 

The two climbed into bed, lying face-to-face. It was then that Lance noticed that Keith was wearing his necklace. 

“You don’t want to take that off for bed?” he asked.

Keith looked at him rather seriously. “I never take it off. I don’t wanna lose it,” he said. 

Lance’s eyebrows raised. “Never? Even when we’re in our armor?” 

Keith shook his head. “I wear it under my shirt.” 

Lance couldn’t stop himself from smiling. He could hardly believe it. 

“It really means a lot to you, huh?” he said. 

“Of course it does,” Keith said. 

Lance was surprised by Keith’s steady gaze. He truly meant everything he said. He brought his hand up, intending to pull Keith closer, but he stopped himself. 

“Is it okay if I touch your back and waist? I wanna hold you,” he said. 

Keith nodded. “Yeah, that’s okay. Can I hold you too?” 

Lance hummed in agreement. He wrapped his arms around Keith and pulled him close. He noticed the way Keith shivered just slightly when he ran a hand down his spine to hold him by his waist. One of Keith’s arms went around Lance’s body, clinging to his back. 

Keith closed his eyes and smiled, happy with the arrangement. Lance couldn’t help but tilt his head down to kiss his forehead. Keith’s eyes fluttered open in surprise, but when he looked up, he stared up at Lance with adoration. 

“Goodnight, mi amor,” Lance whispered.

“Goodnight Lance,” Keith said. 

They both closed their eyes. Lance reveled in the warmth of Keith’s body, in the fluttery, light feeling in his stomach that he still felt when he was around Keith. Maybe he was in love. The thought both excited and terrified him. What if he was wrong again, like he had been so many times before? 

But maybe he was in love. And maybe Keith was in love with him. What a hopeful, wonderful thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V soft. Subscribe for more!


	6. Stability

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is Keith's stability.

One day while traveling, the team received a distress signal. 

“I’m surprised we haven’t received one before,” Hunk remarked. 

“The last people saw of Voltron was us disappearing into that vortex with Lotor,” Pidge said. “They may have given up hope.” 

The comms went quiet after that. 

“Alright team, let’s investigate quickly then be on our way,” Keith said. 

Everyone affirmed that they heard Keith’s orders and prepared to land. 

The planet was Mars-like, red, dusty soil and dry air. The numerous trees were tall and leafless. 

The team got out of their lions and gathered together. Pidge walked in front with her tracker projected from her wrist panel. 

“This way,” she said. 

Everyone followed, eyes scanning for any threats. Lance brought up the rear with his gun drawn. 

They came upon a clearing and spotted a small ship which, telling by the dirt thrown about and the cracked panels, had crash-landed. 

Keith’s eyes flickered to the Galran insignia on the side of the ship. 

“Careful guys. We don’t know what we’re dealing with here,” he said.

They approached the ship cautiously. All of a sudden, a figure stepped out from a tree, their camouflage fading, and took a slash at Keith. Keith jumped back instinctively and drew his Marmora blade, but the lizard-like alien pursued him, their swords clanging together. 

“Keith!” Lance exclaimed. 

He immediately took aim at the alien while everyone else drew their bayards and weapons. Fear shot through his veins, cold and pulsing. His instincts told him to shoot immediately, get Keith out of danger as soon as possible, but as a paladin, he knew he couldn’t do that. But the thought of Keith getting hurt terrified him so much.

“Please, don’t fight. We’re here to help you!” Allura urged the alien. 

The alien only hissed in response. Keith gritted his teeth and pushed back against their sword, but the alien suddenly dodged away, making Keith falter and giving them a chance to slash at Keith’s side. Keith cried out and clutched at his wound. There was blood on his glove when he pulled it away, and the sight of it made something flash in his eyes. He growled and attacked the alien with new vigor. 

“Please, stop!” 

Another lizard-like alien dropped a bundle of wood at the edge of the clearing and ran towards their companion. 

“Zeon, these are the Paladins of Voltron. They can help us!” they said. 

Zeon’s eyes widened as he continued to defend against Keith’s attacks.

“Paladin, I apologize. We no longer need to fight!” they said. 

But Keith didn’t relent, slashing forcefully at Zeon.

“Keith, cut it out!” Shiro shouted. 

Keith didn’t seem to hear him. When he matched swords with Zeon again, he turned and Lance could see his face. His teeth were bared, canines showing through. His eyes were shining yellow and his pupils had turned to slits.

“Keith?” Lance said, lowering his gun. 

Keith’s gaze immediately redirected to Lance. As soon as he saw his face, he relaxed and lowered his sword, though he was still panting. 

Lance stared at him with concern. “Your eyes…”

Keith cocked his head then checked his reflection in the shine of his sword. He flinched and dropped the blade, the clatter reverberating through their ears. Then he looked up and saw the way everyone was staring at him. Concerned, confused, _scared_. 

Keith turned and ran, Kosmo quickly catching up to him and teleporting him somewhere out of sight. 

“Keith!” Lance called out, but he was already gone. 

Lance started to run after him, but Pidge’s shout stopped him. 

“Lance! You can’t just go running into the woods blindly,” she said. 

Lance turned, expression hardened with frustration. “I have to find him! And he’s injured!” 

Pidge’s eyebrows knit together. “Just...keep your tracker on, okay? I don’t think he’s turned his off yet so you can use that.” She tapped her helmet screen as indication.

The others looked at each other, faces solemn. Krolia walked over and picked up Keith's blade, eyebrows curving as she held it in her hands. It still pulsed with Keith's life force, so at least there was that.

“Bring him back soon,” Allura said. “We’ll take care of these two.” 

Lance gave them a quick nod then took off.

He pulled the tracking program up on his helmet screen as he ran. Keith’s red dot was already far away, and he seemed to be somewhere higher. Lance looked up and saw a mountain with caves dug into it ahead. He steeled himself and ran faster, adrenaline making him numb to the exertion. 

Lance found something of a trail leading up the mountain, though it was thin and rocky. He disregarded this and started to make the trek, eyes focused on the red dot that was getting closer and closer to his blue. 

He came upon a cliff where the land was flatter. The red dot was right on top of his blue, merging together to make purple. Lance clicked the tracker away, and his eyes immediately fell upon Keith, curled up in a ball just inside a cave with his helmet off, Kosmo curled at his feet. 

“Keith…” he said softly. 

Keith’s head jerked up. His eyes were back to normal, but they were glassy and wide with fear. Kosmo was alert as well, but he stayed still and watched. 

“Lance, get away from me. I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Keith said, voice strained with fear. 

Lance ignored him and walked closer. 

“Keith, you’re hurt. Let me help you.”

“No!” 

It pained Lance to see Keith cower away. His face was stricken with conflict, torn between collapsing in Lance’s familiar embrace and running away as far as he could. Lance could see that he was shaking, especially his hands, which he held up in caution. 

“I don’t want to hurt you, Lance,” Keith said. A single tear slid down his cheek. “Please, just stay away.”

Lance couldn’t do that. He walked forward until he was a pace away from Keith and crouched down. He set his helmet aside, not wanting anything to separate them. Keith watched him the entire time, pressed up against the wall of the cave with nowhere to go. 

Lance looked in Keith’s eyes, his a soft, steady blue. 

“You could never hurt me,” he said. He meant it with everything he was. He only hoped Keith could hear that.

Keith’s eyebrows knit together, and he closed his eyes tight. 

 

Lance edged forward. “I know you’re scared cause this is the first time it’s happened, but everything turned out okay. You stopped, Keith. You didn’t hurt anyone.”

Keith opened his eyes but refused to look at Lance. “But what if it happens again and I can’t stop?” 

He sounded so scared. Lance just wanted to take it all away. “I’ll be there to help you. And the team. You don’t have to go through this alone,” he said. 

At that, Keith finally looked up, his eyes shiny with tears. 

“Please Keith,” Lance held his hand out. “Don’t run away anymore.”

Keith sobbed, his knees and arms going lax and allowing him to fall forward into Lance’s arms. Lance hugged him tightly and rubbed a hand up and down his back. 

“I’ve got you Keith,” he said softly. He kissed the side of his head. “I’ve got you.”

Keith buried his face in the crook of Lance’s shoulder and allowed himself to cry, his tears wetting the collar of Lance’s bodysuit. Lance breathed deeply, willing Keith to do the same. He shifted them into a more comfortable position so that he was almost cradling Keith. 

Keith was a pretty silent crier, and it made Lance wonder if Keith had ever cried in front of anyone else. At least Shiro, right? Although it hurt Lance to see Keith like this, he knew he was being introduced to another side of him, possibly the most vulnerable. It only made Lance care about Keith more. 

Eventually, Keith’s sobs eased into deep breaths and hiccups. When Keith looked up, he was almost nose-to-nose with Lance. Keith closed his eyes and kissed him, soft and sweet. Keith cupped his cheek when he pulled away, staring Lance in the eyes. Lance could hardly believe that tender gaze was meant for him. 

“Thank you Lance,” he said. “Thank you so much.” 

Lance smiled down at him, until his gaze fell upon Keith’s side. 

“Keith! You’re still bleeding!” he exclaimed. 

Keith put a hand to his side, like he were just remembering it.

“It’s just a small cut,” he muttered.

“No, it’s not.”

Lance scowled and lifted Keith’s arm up so he could see it better. It’s true that the cut wasn’t very deep, but it was still fresh and definitely needed tending to.

“We should get back to the others,” he said. “We don’t have the healing pods anymore, so it’ll have to heal the old-fashioned way.” 

Keith nodded. He tried to get up on his own but winced when he stretched out that side of his body. Lance immediately moved to help him to his feet, throwing one arm over his shoulder. Kosmo stood up and trotted over, cocking his head at them. 

“Good boy,” Lance said, unsure of how effective that would be.

Kosmo had no reaction, but he followed them as they started to walk back down the mountain. 

The team crowded them as soon as they arrived, both fussing over Keith and chastising him. Lance was relieved to see everyone treat Keith the same as before, just as he knew they would. He could see that same relief on Keith’s face. 

The two lizard-like aliens stepped forward shyly. 

“I am sorry for injuring you, paladin,” Zeon said. “I should have recognized the Paladins of Voltron as soon as I saw you all.” 

“It’s alright,” Keith told him. “You were protecting yourself.” 

Lance on the other hand shot Zeon a glare and pulled Keith closer to his side. 

“Your team repaired our ship. We cannot be more grateful. We never should have given up on Voltron,” the other alien said. 

Allura smiled at them. “As soon as you’re back on your feet, we hope you’ll join our Coalition.” 

Coran popped up at Keith’s side with a roll of gauze. 

“Don’t worry, Number Four! This old man can hold his own in a med bay with or without healing pods,” he said cheerily. 

Lance stayed with Keith the whole time Coran treated his wound. Keith hissed when Coran placed some disinfectant on it, and Lance squeezed his hand to comfort him. Soon, Keith was all bandaged up, and the team prepared to launch again. 

Krolia requested to be alone in Black with her son. Everyone agreed to give them space. Lance was glad that Keith had someone to talk about his heritage now. As much as he wanted to be there for him no matter what, there was only so much he could say on the subject. He watched them climb into Black with a smile.

***

When their day came to a close, Lance dashed over to Black and knocked on the jaw. Keith answered almost immediately. Before Lance could say anything, Keith grabbed him by his shirt and kissed him. Lance hummed in surprise but rolled with it, arms circling around Keith’s waist.

Keith pulled away with a sound smack. “Hi,” he said breathlessly.

“Hi,” Lance replied, chuckling. 

Keith pulled him inside, smiling widely. 

“Happy to see me?” Lance teased. 

“Yeah,” Keith sighed. 

Lance smiled at that. “Did you get to talk with your mom?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Keith said. “The Galra refer to it as overaggression. It’s part of their maturation process. Since I’m half-human I got it pretty late, but I’ll learn to control it and it’ll go away eventually.”

Lance beamed. “That’s great! You know, I’m so glad you have your mom in your life now. I know how much my mamá means to me, so.”

Keith nodded and smiled. “It’s been really good to have her.”

He surprised Lance by going in for another kiss, which Lance accepted instantly. 

“Was there something you wanted to do? I just want to kiss and cuddle,” Keith said when he pulled back. 

“Uh, yeah that sounds good,” Lance stuttered. He was still surprised and endeared by Keith’s bluntness. 

“Good,” Keith smiled. 

He tugged Lance towards the bed and laid down on top of the covers, pulling Lance in after him. Lance giggled and wrapped his arms around Keith, who nuzzled close to his neck. Keith tilted his head up and captured Lance’s lips again. Lance’s hand slid up into Keith’s hair, gently combing through the locks. A quiet rumble sounded from Keith’s chest, prompting Lance to pull away. 

“Did you just purr?” he asked, eyes wide. 

Keith stared down at his chest. “I...guess so.”

He started to frown, eyes swimming with uncertainty. There was yet another part of himself that he didn’t know was there. 

Lance read his expression and said, “I’m sorry that you have to go through this, Keith. It must be weird not be familiar with your own body.”

Keith looked up at him, still frowning. Lance tried to give him a comforting smile. 

“But if it makes you feel any better, I don’t mind at all. It’s never mattered to me that you’re half-Galra. I just like you for _you,_ ” he said.

The corners of Keith’s lips started to tug upwards, his eyes soft as he gazed at Lance. 

Lance leaned in close until their foreheads were almost touching and smirked. “And for the record, I think the purring is cute.”

Keith scowled and pushed against Lance’s chest, though he made no move to actually escape from his hold. “I am _not_ cute,” he protested.

Lance laughed and clung to him. “There’s nothing wrong with being cute. You don’t let it show very often, so I like seeing that side of you,” he said. 

Keith stopped squirming as a pink blush dusted his cheeks. 

“I like every side of you,” Lance murmured. 

He continued to comb his fingers through Keith’s hair, letting his fingernails scratch his scalp a little. Keith closed his eyes and relaxed into it. He let out a breath and pressed his cheek against Lance’s chest, starting to purr again. Lance smiled down at him, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. 

After a few minutes, Keith opened his eyes and looked up at Lance. His lips were tight with worry again.

“Lance...you said you’d teach me how to love,” he started. 

“Yeah?” 

“And well,” Keith furrowed his eyebrows and looked away for a moment. “Is this what love feels like?” 

Lance’s eyebrows shot up. He didn’t know what to say. 

“I don’t know. What are you feeling?” he asked. 

Keith grabbed Lance’s hand and pressed the palm flat against his heart. It was racing like a rabbit’s. 

“My heartbeat goes crazy whenever I’m around you, almost like when we’re about to fly into battle. But I’m not nervous, I’m excited, happy, just really happy. As soon as I wake up I think about you, and my chest feels all warm when I find you there next to me. I think about you all the time, and I want...I just feel like I want you,” Keith said. 

Lance could barely comprehend what Keith was saying. How could someone be saying things like that to him, him of all people? He’d been waiting so long for this, whatever this was, and it was right in front of him. 

“Keith, babe,” Lance sighed. He hugged him close. 

After a moment, he pulled away and looked Keith in the eyes. 

“I don’t know if that’s love,” he admitted with a sad smile. “I’m not sure what it’s supposed to feel like. My mamá told me I’d know it when I felt it, but I don’t know. I’m scared I’m wrong.” 

Keith didn’t break eye contact with Lance, hanging onto his words. Lance started to pet his hair down again. 

“But I do know that I feel the same way. I want you too, Keith,” he said. 

Keith’s eyes lit up. He surged forward all of a sudden and pressed his lips to Lance’s. Lance hummed happily and cradled the back of Keith’s head. Their hands were still joined over Keith’s heart, which continued to beat at a quick pace. Lance knew his heart was pounding as well, and he wondered if Keith could feel it. He probably could, considering their chests were so close together that Lance could feel Keith’s flower necklace under his shirt. That little connection made Lance feel light-headed with happiness.

His breath caught in his throat when Keith started to suck on his bottom lip. He weaved his fingers into Keith’s hair, tugging slightly. Keith gripped his shoulder with his free hand. 

When they parted for breath, Lance leaned his forehead against Keith’s. Gradually, their heartbeats slowed and they opened their eyes to look at each other. Lance stared into Keith’s deep purple eyes, noting how dilated his pupils were. 

“Hey um,” Keith started. He bit his lip. “Thanks again for what you did for me today. I felt like I was spiraling out of control and all I wanted to do was run, but you were there and you kept me stable. You’re incredible.” 

Lance felt warmth spread across his cheeks as he leaned in to nuzzle his nose against Keith’s. 

“Anything for you, mi amor,” he said. 

The two spent the rest of the evening kissing and talking in hushed tones, not letting go of each other for a moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! It's really flattering to know people actually follow this story, haha. Subscribe for more!


	7. Assurance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith shows Lance that his feelings are unconditional.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read the notes at the end for updates!

It was nearing the end of the paladins’ day. They had traveled in silence for the most part, not even Hunk or Lance could come up with something interesting to say. Lance rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand and pressed Red’s handlebars forward. 

Something pinged on their radars. 

“A distress signal! But it’s coming from a Galra ship,” Pidge said. 

“They could be refugees like last time,” Keith said. 

“Let’s check it out,” Shiro said. 

The Lions sped up towards the area where the signal was coming from. They spotted the ship inside an asteroid field and stopped outside of it. It looked to be an abandoned cruiser, as none of its lights were on and it was drifting freely.

“Keep your eyes open everyone,” Keith said. 

“Perhaps we should split up,” Allura suggested. “Blue’s sonar should allow me to navigate the asteroid field. Keith and Krolia know the most about the Galra, so they should come with me. Pidge should come along as well for any technological problems. Hunk and Romelle can stay behind in Yellow to keep a lookout.” 

“What about me?” Lance asked.

“Oh,” Allura said. 

His voice seemed to echo through the silent comms. A chill crept into his veins.

“You can keep a lookout with Hunk and Romelle,” Allura said. 

“We should get moving if we want to stay on schedule,” Pidge said. 

“Alright team, let’s move,” Keith said to everyone. 

Blue and Green launched off, but Black stayed behind for a second. Keith’s face popped up on Lance’s screen. 

“Hey Lance,” he said. 

Lance looked up. “Yeah?” 

Keith’s eyes were soft with worry. “Stay safe.”

Lance’s gaze fell. “Yeah, you too,” he mumbled. 

Keith’s image winked away and Lance watched Black depart. 

He brought his knees up to his chest. How could they forget about him? Was he really that unimportant, that useless? Did they forget that Keith had navigated an asteroid field with Red with no problem? Did they not think he could do that? He clutched his knees tightly. His breath came out in quick huffs, barely entering his chest before he pushed them out.

“Hey Lance,” Hunk called out through the comm.

Lance flinched and sat back up. “Yeah?” 

“If you watch the left I’ll watch the right,” Hunk said.

“Yeah...sure,” Lance agreed. 

He turned Red to the left and stared out at the empty stretches of space in front of him. 

***

About half an hour passed before Lance spotted the Lions returning. 

“Hey guys!” Pidge said, popping up on Lance and Hunk’s screens. “We’re heading back. We didn’t find anyone, so we can be on our way.” 

“Sounds good!” Hunk said. 

Lance didn’t say anything. His throat felt constricted; if his voice traveled up it, he wasn’t sure it would make it the whole way. 

As soon as the other Lions rejoined them, Coran leaned over Allura’s shoulder and said, “Alright team, according to my clock we’ve still got three vargas of traveling to do for the day.”

“Thanks Coran. Let’s get going,” Keith said. 

Everyone set off on their course again, with Lance trailing behind in Red.

***

When the end of their day finally came, Lance found that he didn’t want to exit his Lion. He didn’t want to move at all, actually. His limbs felt too tense and heavy.

“Uhh, Earth to Lance? What’s going on in there, man?” Pidge asked through the comm. 

The rest of the team had dismounted and gathered together in the middle of their circle of Lions. 

“I-I don’t-“ he tried to say, voice strained. 

“Are you okay?” Shiro asked. 

Lance scrunched his brows together. He didn’t want to answer that question. He wasn’t even sure what his answer was. 

“I’ll go check on him. You guys go ahead and eat,” Lance heard Keith say to the others through their open comms.

Lance relaxed a little as he saw the others disperse, but then he realized that Keith was coming in here. He was going to see him. He didn’t know whether to fight this or not. On one hand, he thought having someone with him, especially someone who cared about him so much, would make him feel better. But on the other hand, he didn’t know if he wanted Keith to see him like this. And he didn’t know what he’d say. 

Before he could make a decision, he got a notification on his screen that Red’s head was lowering to the ground and opening up for Keith. 

_I guess they still have a connection,_ he thought. Then another idea came to him, and he frowned at it. _Or maybe Red can sense how bad I’m feeling and thinks I need help._

“Lance?” Keith’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

Lance turned in his chair to look at him, though he didn’t move any more than that. Keith walked over and kneeled beside him. 

“What’s going on?” he asked. 

“I-” Lance’s voice stuck in his throat and came out as a sob. He gave up fighting it. He started to cry as he hid his face in his hands. 

“Oh, Lance,” Keith said. 

He wrapped his arms around Lance’s shaking shoulders. Lance thought his sobs and wails sounded so ugly and pathetic, but he couldn’t quiet himself. He just cried into Keith’s shoulder and held onto him. 

Lance wanted to tell Keith why he was upset. He knew why, even though his head was spinning. He tried his best to take deep breaths, but each one was still shaky and uneven. 

“They forgot me,” he stuttered. “How could-how could she forget?” 

Keith pulled back a little to talk to him. His eyebrows were curved with concern. “I’m so sorry, Lance. I should’ve stuck up for you.” 

Lance shook his head. “No, no it’s not-it’s not your fault.”

Another wave of sobs washed over him, and he clutched tight to Keith’s chest again. Keith rested his head on top of his and ran his hand through his hair. Lance tried to focus on that, on his fingers brushing against his scalp. 

“Lance…” Keith said. “You’re so important to this team, and to me. I’m sorry that the team overlooks you at times, but I’m sure they feel the same as me.”

“But...I don’t have a thing,” Lance said. His voice was small, feeble. 

“What do you mean?” Keith cupped Lance’s face and looked him right in the eyes. “Pidge may have her smarts and Shiro may have his leadership, but _you_ hold this team together. When everyone feels like giving up, you come in and crack a joke, and for a moment, we can all forget about the war and laugh.”

Lance’s sobs started to subside. He sniffled even though his nose was stuffed and stared into Keith’s familiar eyes. 

“Do you-do you really mean that?” he asked. 

Keith thumbed over his cheek, wiping away some of his tears. “Of course I do.” He laughed lightly. “What would we do without our goofball-sharpshooter?”

“Keith…” Lance whined. 

He fell forward and hugged him again. 

“I’m sorry I’m all gross and snotty,” he mumbled against his chestplate.

Keith chuckled and rubbed a hand down his back. 

“It’s fine,” he told him. 

Lance had stopped crying by this point, though his breath was still occasionally interrupted by hiccups. Keith pulled back again and brushed Lance’s hair behind his ear. 

“Are you okay?” he asked. 

Lance nodded. 

“What if I get dinner for us and bring it in here? I’ll ask the others if we have tissues too,” Keith said. 

Lance’s eyebrows furrowed. It was so stupid and childish, but he didn’t want to be left alone. He slid his hand over to Keith’s and squeezed it. 

“Don’t leave me,” he said. 

Keith’s expression softened. “I’ll only be gone for a second,” he assured him.

Lance shook his head. “No. I know it’s silly, but I don’t like being left alone when I’m like this.”

Keith paused. “Okay. I’ll comm Shiro to bring the things over. Do you want to get out of your armor while I do that?” 

Lance nodded. He knew that having his restrictive armor on had been bothering him, but it had been the least of his worries. With Keith’s initiative, he felt like he could do it now, and he was glad. He stood, a little lightheaded, and made his way over to his bed with Keith following him. They both sat on the bed, Lance shucking off his armor and Keith pressing the side of his helmet to talk to Shiro. 

“Shiro? Hey. Can you bring some dinner to Red for me and Lance? And ask if anyone has tissues. Thanks,” Keith said. 

When he was done, Keith put his arm around Lance and kissed his cheek. “All taken care of. I’m gonna stay right here.” 

Lance felt his heart melt as he turned his head to kiss Keith’s cheek back. Keith was so wonderful, he could hardly believe it. 

“Thank you,” he said. He gave him a smile despite his puffy, red eyes. 

Keith smiled back. “I’m just following what you taught me.”

Lance’s eyes widened. What _he_ taught him? No way. Keith had been so calm and comforting and perfect. Lance didn’t believe those things about himself. 

“Do you wanna take your armor off too? It’s more comfortable,” he suggested. 

Keith nodded and started to remove the plates of his armor, leaving them in a pile by Lance’s bed. 

“Has that...happened to you before?” he asked as he undressed. 

Lance sniffed and looked at the ground. “Yeah. Back home I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. That usually leads to me overthinking things and being...uncomfortable in certain situations, but sometimes I get panic attacks, like that.”

Lance usually covered up his anxiety as much as he could, but he didn’t want to keep anything from Keith. And he didn’t feel like he had to. 

They were both in their bodysuits now, and Lance was happy to think that less material separated them. It would be much easier to hug and cuddle Keith now, which was what his body really craved. 

Keith reached over to squeeze Lance’s hand. 

“I’m sorry you have to go through that,” he said. “Shiro has anxiety and depression too. He kept it from me most of the time since he was my mentor, but sometimes it showed through. It was always hard to see him hurting.” He frowned. “I wish I could take it away from you.” 

Lance smiled. “It’s okay. Having you with me already makes things so much better.”

A knock sounded from Red’s jaw and Keith stood up to answer it, not letting go of Lance’s hand until he had to. Lance caught bits of Keith’s conversation with Shiro, “He’s okay”, “Thanks so much”, “We’ll see you tomorrow”. He was grateful that Keith didn’t share anything about his disorder. Soon, Keith returned with two bowls of food and a packet of what looked to be Altean tissues. He handed the tissues and a bowl to Lance. 

“Are you okay?” Keith asked. 

“Yeah,” Lance replied. “You don’t have to ask that so much, it gets kind of annoying.”

“Oh, sorry,” Keith said, his eyes darting away. 

Lance quickly caught his hand. “No, it’s okay. We’re both learning.” He smiled comfortingly. “You’ve been really great so far.” 

Keith smiled, secure enough to look Lance in the eyes. 

“Let’s eat on the floor, yeah? I don’t want to get my bed messy,” Lance said. 

Keith nodded and sat cross-legged on the floor as Lance blew his nose with a tissue. Lance still felt a little gross doing this in front of Keith, but Keith didn’t seem to mind at all. Lance enjoyed the level of comfort they were establishing, one that he didn’t have with anyone else outside of his family. Hunk and Pidge had come close, but after their repeated exclusion of him (which he didn’t blame them for), he had never let his guard down completely. The Lance that Keith was seeing was the most vulnerable, most hidden. And still, Lance felt safe and secure with him. 

After he was done and his head felt a little clearer, Lance joined Keith on the floor, sitting across from him. They ate their assortment of leaves, fruits, and a grain-like food in comfortable silence. Once they finished, they stacked their bowls on top of Lance’s nightstand. Lance slumped onto his bed. The exhaustion that usually followed his panic attacks was kicking in. 

Keith noticed this and asked, “You wanna lay down and cuddle?”

Lance looked up at him with a sideways smile. “Yes, please.”

Keith chuckled and crawled over Lance to take his usual place next to the wall while Lance pulled the blankets over them. They settled in and turned on their sides to face each other. 

“Anything you want in particular?” Keith asked. 

Lance thought about this. “Usually when I have panic attacks and after, I like light, soft touches, y’know? I don’t like feeling overwhelmed in any way. And I find back rubs really soothing.”

Keith nodded. He scooted closer and slid a hand around Lance’s body, running it up and down his back. Lance closed his eyes and hummed happily. He absolutely _loved_ how attentive and sweet Keith was being. When he opened his eyes he found Keith staring at him, watching his face carefully for any signs of discomfort. Lance wanted nothing more than to bring those cute, pink lips to his. He brought his hand up and trailed his fingers along Keith’s jaw. Keith got the message, tilting his head up and closing his eyes. Lance leaned in and kissed him softly. A deep breath flowed out of him as calm settled over his heart. 

When they broke apart, they were close enough for their eyelashes to brush together. Lance couldn’t help but stare, trying his best to commit the picture to memory. He wanted to remember the way Keith’s raven black bangs fell across his eyes, pinpoint the place where his cheek scar ended, memorize the shape of his nose. It suddenly occurred to Lance that he wanted to know every inch of Keith. He wanted to know him better than he knew himself. 

Lance was broken out of his reverie when he felt Keith’s fingers on his chin, dragging up until they were touching his lips. His pointer finger traced the shape, eyes fixated on the movement. Lance found the gesture so adorable and endearing. He caught Keith’s hand in his and kissed it.

“You’re perfect,” he murmured. 

Keith blushed pink at that. “So are you,” he whispered back. 

Lance giggled, the feeling incredibly light and bubbly in his chest compared to his sobs from earlier. 

“You think I’m perfect even after what you saw today?” he asked. 

“Yes,” Keith said immediately. 

Lance’s eyebrows raised. Keith’s gaze didn’t waver. He was sure. And Lance wasn’t afraid to believe him. 

He slid his hand behind Keith’s neck and pulled him for another kiss. Keith hummed happily, cupping Lance’s cheek with one hand and rubbing his back with the other. 

Lance had never felt so happy and cared for. 

***

This was it. When they started flying that day, Pidge told them that they were now passing through the Milky Way and should arrive on Earth in a matter of hours. It didn’t feel real. Everyone was quiet, almost as if they were holding a collective breath as their eyes scanned the skies for the first glimpse of that blue planet. 

Hunk gasped. “There it is!” 

Lance’s eyes darted around before spotting on a distant blue sphere, quickly growing larger in his field of vision. Distantly, he heard the celebratory cries of his teammates, but all of his attention was focused on one thought.

He was going home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry this update is a little late. There is one more chapter left in the SFW story, and it may take me more than a week because it will be longer. After that I plan to have a bonus NSFW chapter, but that will be posted separately because I'd like to keep this work safe. The two works will be grouped together as a series for clarity. Thanks for following this story!


	8. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team finally makes it to Earth and faces their final battle. Keith and Lance think about their future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me longer than I anticipated, but I really really wanted to make sure this last chapter was perfect, so I hope it was worth the wait!

As they got closer to Earth, their scanners picked up on numerous Galra ships and cruisers. Panic quickly overtook Lance. 

“No…” Pidge murmured. “We can’t be too late.” 

“Your planet looks unharmed,” Allura noted. “We can’t lose hope yet.”

“But how are we going to pass through unnoticed?” Romelle asked. 

“I’m not sure we have a choice,” Keith said. He stared at his screen, which was covered in purple dots. “They already know we’re coming. We may just have to form Voltron and head straight for the Garrison.”

As much as Lance wanted to make a beeline for Cuba, Varadero Beach, his _home,_ he knew that Keith was right. 

“Well unless anyone has a better idea, I guess that’s what we’re doing,” Pidge said. 

“Alright everyone, on me. Form Voltron!” Keith yelled. 

***

The Garrison was surrounded by a forcefield of some sort, but it opened for them until Voltron was completely inside. People were flooding out of the buildings. Lance realized then how much he had changed. The younger version of him would probably run outside with his hands on his hips, accepting praise and adoration from the entirety of Earth, but now, he cared about Voltron’s mission and protecting the ones he loved above all else. It didn’t matter to him who was in that crowd and what they thought of him; he just needed to know his family was safe. 

The team disassembled and dismounted from their Lions, to the sounds of a roaring cheer. Sam Holt must have successfully delivered their messages then. Lance smiled bashfully as he stepped down from Red, finding himself gravitating to Keith’s side. 

“Katie!” a woman’s voice called out. 

“Hunk? Hunk, my boy!” another woman shouted. 

Pidge and Hunk ran to meet their parents at the front of the crowd, wrapping them in a tight embrace. 

“Lance!” 

It had been so long, but the voice was unmistakable. Lance turned and saw his mamá, along with his papá, siblings, niece, and nephew. The world seemed to move in slow motion. His feet carried him to them, straight into their open arms. His vision blurred with tears as he took in each face, noting how they had changed and how they hadn’t. They each clutched onto him and took turns planting kisses on his cheeks. When the initial excitement died down, his mamá stepped forward and cupped his face in her soft, familiar hands. 

“Mijo,” she said, eyes watering. “We never gave up on you for a second. We always knew you would come home.” 

Lance hugged his mom tightly. “I missed you so much. I missed you all,” he said. “Wait, how did you guys get here?” 

“After we got your message from Sam Holt, I packed up the family and brought them here,” Veronica explained. “I knew it’d be safer.” 

“I’m just glad you’re all okay,” Lance said. 

Lance glanced behind him and spotted Keith, standing near Shiro and rubbing his arm awkwardly. He had clearly seen Lance with his family but probably didn’t know what to do. Lance blushed and turned back to his family. 

“There’s someone I want you guys to meet,” he said. 

He dashed over to Keith and slipped his hand into his. 

“Hi,” Lance said, eyes sparkling. “I want you to meet my family. Is that okay with you?” 

Keith gave him a shy smile. “Yeah, of course.”

Lance beamed and led Keith over to the McClain’s. It was no secret to his family that Lance was bisexual, they had always been accepting about that, but he’d never introduced anyone to them. It was something that he had always dreamed about. He was giddy, but also incredibly nervous.

“Guys, this is Keith, my boyfriend,” he said, cheeks red. “He pilots the Black Lion and he’s also our super awesome team leader.”

Keith was blushing as well as he lifted his hand to wave. “Hi.”

Lance’s family looked stunned, glancing at each other for guidance, and then at Lance’s mamá. She stared at the couple for a moment, taking in their smiles. Then she stepped forward to hug Keith. Keith froze for a second then hugged her back. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Keith,” she said, holding him by the shoulders. “If my Lance likes you, you must be a very special person.”

The rest of his family started to grin and chatter among themselves.

Veronica elbowed her brother. “You finally snagged someone, huh?”

“¿Cuándo es la boda?” Luis teased. (When is the wedding?)

Lance scowled at his siblings as everyone else laughed. 

“But seriously, I’m happy for you,” Veronica said. She turned her gaze to Keith. “And I’m keeping my eye on you.” 

“When all this is over, you need to come over for dinner,” Lance’s mamá told Keith. “We’d love to have you.” 

“Oh! Um, thank you,” Keith said. 

Lance felt like two puzzle pieces were connecting in his heart seeing Keith stand across from his family. It made visions of a future with Keith that much more realistic.

“Keith, Lance!” Shiro called out. “We need to get to a meeting with Commander Holt and Iverson.”

Lance looked to his family with a sad smile. “I’ll find you guys later, okay?” 

“Stay safe, mijo,” his mamá said with a final hug. “We’re proud of you no matter what.”

“Bye Lance!” his niece and nephew chorused. 

Lance crouched down and gave them each a kiss on the head. “Stay out of trouble, you two,” he told them. 

He stood and addressed his family again. “Los quiero mucho.” (I love you all so much)

Lance grabbed Keith’s hand again, took a deep breath, and walked away from his family. As he wiped away a couple of tears from his eyes, he felt Keith squeeze his hand. Keith smiled at him, and he returned it as best as he could. 

They still had a duty to the universe. 

***

“Alright, give us the rundown, Sam,” Shiro said. 

Sam Holt stood at the head of the table. The rest of Team Voltron and a few officers from the Garrison filled the rest of the seats. 

“Because of my quick arrival and your videos, Earth had fair warning before the Sendak and his fleet came,” Sam explained. “Most of Earth is holed up in refuges like the Garrison. The Galra have caused some destruction, but for the most part, they seem to have been waiting around for you.”

“And now we’ve arrived,” Allura said. 

“Yes, and we don’t know what they’ll do next,” Sam replied. 

The table fell silent as everyone contemplated the situation. 

“I say we take the fight to them,” Keith proposed. “Before this gets any worse. We take out Sendak and try to turn as many soldiers as we can. Many of them are probably just afraid of what would happen to them if they disobeyed commands. There might be some casualties, but ”

“What about Haggar?” Allura asked. “She’s still out there.” 

“Considering that we have no way of tracking her, we’ll deal with her if she comes,” Keith said.

“I agree with Keith,” Shiro said. “They already know we’ve arrived, but we should try to take the initiative. I say we strike tomorrow morning.” 

Everyone at the table looked at each other and exchanged nods. Tomorrow morning? That seemed so soon, yet Lance knew it was their best approach. 

The team talked more specific strategy until they had a solid plan. Then everyone was dismissed to have dinner and go to bed early. 

Lance and Keith fell into step with one another as they walked into the corridor, both silent. Tomorrow could change everything in an instant. They both knew that. 

At the entrance to the dining hall, Keith suddenly grabbed both of Lance’s hands and looked him in the eyes. 

“I’m going to have dinner with my mom and see you after, yeah? We’ll sleep together like we always do,” he said. He sounded as if he were telling it to himself as much as he was telling it to Lance. 

“Yeah,” Lance affirmed. “I’ll see you in a little.” 

Keith nodded, let go of his hands, and walked into the dining hall. Lance closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he forced himself to smile and sought out his family. 

***

After dinner, Lance and Keith found each other easily and headed down the corridor. Their fingers intertwined as they walked. They were given two separate bedrooms in the dormitory wing, but they might as well have given the extra to someone else. 

As soon as they entered one and closed the door behind them, Keith wrapped his arms around Lance and clung to him tightly. Lance’s hands slid into his hair and to his lower back. Lance kissed the side of Keith’s head, which was buried in his shoulder. They stood like that for a minute, just holding each other. 

Lance lifted his head. “Let’s lay down, yeah?” 

Keith nodded into his neck and reluctantly released his grip from around his body. They kicked off their shoes and crawled into bed, pulling the covers up to their shoulders. After they settled, their eyes met, and they simply stared at each other for a moment.

“I can’t lose you,” Keith whispered. 

The fear in his voice made Lance’s heart ache. He quickly pulled Keith close to his chest. 

“Oh Keith,” he sighed. 

Lance tilted his head down so that they were nose-to-nose. He could see tears shining in Keith’s eyes. 

“I can’t promise that nothing will happen tomorrow. But somehow, I feel like we’re going to get through this. Our team does the impossible all the time; we just have to do it again.” He gave Keith a small smile. “And...I can’t even think about life without you, so I’m going to stay positive about tomorrow and enjoy the time I have with you right now.”

Keith nodded then leaned forward to kiss Lance tenderly. 

“We have each other right now,” he repeated. 

_You can have me forever,_ Lance thought to himself. But that might be pushing their luck too far. 

Keith cupped his cheek, a fond smile on his face, and kissed him again. Lance felt a small tear drip from Keith’s eyes onto his cheek, but Keith didn’t allow him to pull away and check on him. Instead he pressed against him harder. Lance understood that in that moment, Keith didn’t want words. He just needed touch. 

Lance gently moved his lips with Keith’s as he brushed his fingers through his hair. After a few strokes, Keith started to purr and pulled away to nuzzle against Lance’s neck. He feathered kisses all over Lance’s neck, making Lance giggle. Lance wrapped his free arm around Keith’s body and overlapped their legs. Their chests pressed together so that Lance could feel Keith’s flower necklace through his shirt. Lance knew his geode was on Red’s dashboard, tucked between some levers he rarely used but clearly visible. They would stay with each other one way or another. 

Lance tilted Keith’s head up and kissed him on the lips again. Then he proceeded to kiss both of his cheeks, tenderly thumbing over his scar. He brushed Keith’s hair out of his face so they could look at each other. Lance still recognized fear in Keith’s eyes, but there was also a brightness there that he hoped never faded. He imagined that the same look was reflected in his eyes. Lance pressed their lips together once more, trying to memorize the feeling. 

The two spent the night wrapped up in each other’s embrace. 

***

It was a silent walk into the hangar. Lance said goodbye to everyone else first. He ruffled Pidge’s hair, bear-hugged Hunk, clasped Shiro’s hand, and gave the others each a warm hug. Then he came to Keith. 

Keith grabbed him by the shoulders and kissed him hard. Lance’s arms naturally looped around Keith’s waist, holding him. He closed his eyes tight. Lance was scared; he wasn’t afraid to admit that. But he couldn’t focus on his fear. He had to think about the mission.

When they separated, Keith leaned his forehead against Lance’s. After a moment, they both opened their eyes.

“Just…stay safe, okay? No crazy heroics,” Lance told him. 

Keith chuckled half-heartedly. “I can’t promise that.”

“I know.” Lance kissed him again.

Keith looked up at him, clear sadness in his indigo eyes. Lance steeled himself. Yes, he was scared, but last night he and Keith resolved to stay positive. He looked Keith directly in the eyes. 

“After all this is done, you’re going to come back with me to Cuba. You’re going to have dinner with my family and taste my mamá’s flan. We’re going to watch the sun set over the water, and everything will be perfect,” he said these things like they were facts, just simple truths. 

Keith nodded determinedly. He surged forward to press a last kiss to Lance’s lips. Then, he let go of him.

Lance backed away towards Red, unwilling to take his eyes off of Keith, who stared after him. When his heels bumped against Red’s jaw, Lance finally had to turn around and climb into his Lion.

He let Red’s jaw close around him as he repeated thoughts to himself. 

After this, I’m taking him home. We’re going to have dinner with my family and watch the sun set over Varadero…

***

It was finally over. As soon as Red’s paws hit the ground, Lance scrambled out of his seat and out of Red. The sun shone overhead as he sprinted towards Black, making the whole scene bright and dream-like. He watched a smiling Keith climb out of Black’s jaw and start running towards him. They met in a crushing hug, almost knocking each other over. 

Lance felt tears stream down his cheeks. He was filled with so much happiness and relief that it was overflowing. He couldn’t believe it, and yet part of him felt that it made perfect sense. After everything they’d been through, he and Keith were meant to be together. And the universe agreed. 

Lance turned his head and kissed Keith, giving in to the familiar, euphoric sensation. From now on, he could kiss those lips every day of his life. He could wake up next to Keith’s face every day. He could spend every day with Keith by his side, without the fate of the universe hanging over their heads. 

When they pulled away, Lance couldn’t help but laugh. Keith looked confused for a moment, but his smile didn’t go away. Laughter bubbled out of Lance’s chest, light and utterly giddy, until Keith had to join in. They leaned their foreheads against each other’s and laughed the weight of the last few years away. 

***

Everyone gathered outside the Garrison for the official announcement. Team Voltron stood together on a platform with Shiro at the microphone. 

“Today after years of fighting, we defeated the greatest threats to the universe. It took the efforts of many, and we will not forget the souls we have lost. Team Voltron thanks you for all your support. 

“This war has ended, but a new age of exploration is just beginning. The universe might be dangerous, but it is full of infinite wonders that are waiting to be found. So don’t be afraid, believe in your own potential, and go explore,” he said.

The crowd roared with cheers and applause. Hunk pulled Lance, Keith, Allura, Pidge, and Shiro into a big group hug. They all grinned at each other, at the faces that were by their side through all the hardships.

“I love you guys,” Hunk said, tearing up. 

“Yeah,” Pidge said. “I don’t like sentiment, but we’re like a family at this point.” 

“I never thought I’d find another family after I lost mine,” Allura said. “So I’m eternally grateful for you all.” 

“Me too,” Keith added on. 

“We really do make a good team,” Lance said. 

They all laughed at that. After a few more happy remarks, they dispersed to walk through the crowd and talk to others who contributed to their victory. Lance and Keith stuck by each other's side, reluctant to let the other out of their sight. 

Eventually they came to Lance’s family. They crowded the couple immediately.

“Oh I’m so glad you’re safe, mijo,” Lance’s mamá said, kissing his cheeks. “You as well, Keith.” She gave one of his cheeks a kiss. 

“Is Lance gonna come home with us?” Lance’s niece asked, tugging at her tía’s hand. “And Keith too?” 

“Yes, of course,” Lance’s mamá told her. She looked up at the couple. “They’re welcome to.” 

Lance glanced at Keith and found confirmation in his smile. “We’ll come home as soon as he can,” he told her. 

His mamá nodded. “We’re going back later today. Oh! Speaking of which, we should get packing.” She hugged her son again. “We’ll see you there soon, yes? Let us know when you’re coming so we can make you all your favorite foods.” 

Lance smiled wide. “I can’t wait.” 

His family waved goodbye and turned to walk towards the barracks. Lance sighed happily, watching their backs. 

Keith smiled at him. “I’m glad you get to go home and be with your family again. I know you missed them a lot.” 

“I did. I’m really happy too,” Lance said. He put his arm around Keith and squeezed his shoulder. “And I’m even more happy that I get to take you home with me.” 

Keith blushed and ducked his head. “I still can’t believe you wanted me to meet them.” 

“Of course I did,” Lance said. “You guys are the most important people in my life.”

Keith froze, then groaned and buried his face in Lance’s shoulder. “ _Laaance._ ” 

Lance chuckled and pet Keith’s hair. “I mean it, babe. Hopefully, we can wrap things up here quickly so we can hop over to Cuba.”

Keith looked up. “Maybe we can meet with the others tonight and head out tomorrow morning. There can’t be much to do.” 

Lance smiled. “Yeah. Let’s go find the others.” 

They walked into the crowd again, hand-in-hand.

***

That evening, they found out that there really was not much for them to do. Communicating with world leaders fell more under the Garrison’s authority. Damage repairs were the responsibility of each country’s government. For the most part, Earth would try its best to return to business as usual, though its thirst for exploration and innovation had skyrocketed. The team still had to figure out their place in all of Earth’s operations, and in defending the universe, but they could all agree they deserved a break.

So Keith and Lance were free to depart for Cuba as soon as they wanted. Lance video called his mother using a Garrison computer to let her know, barely able to contain his excitement. He and Keith spent a peaceful night together, then woke up bright and early to take off in Red. 

***

It shouldn’t have surprised Lance, but it was a quick flight over to the Caribbean Sea. Lance teared up as soon as the shape of Cuba came into view. He recalled the last time he saw this exact sight. At the end of the summer before his senior year (the year his journey into space started), he had watched the island get smaller and smaller as his plane ascended, en route to Arizona and another year at the Garrison. He remembered his mix of happiness at returning to his dream school and sadness at leaving his home and family. That was years ago. Now he only felt absolute joy at the thought of coming back home. And this time, his boyfriend was by his side. Things couldn’t be better. 

Letting Red dive down, the details of his home country became more and more clear. Keith’s eyes were wide as he stared out the window. Lance imagined he had never seen something like this before. Had he even been to the beach? That would definitely change soon.

Lance steered towards Varadero and honed in on his house, a modest, one-level home close to the beach. He ended up having to park Red on the beach due to space. He and Keith climbed down from Red and started to walk through Lance’s neighborhood hand-in-hand. 

Lance was silent as he took in the world he had grown up in. It didn’t seem like much had changed, like the universe had been preserving his home for him all this time. Keith didn’t say anything, recognizing the reflective look on his face.

As soon as Lance spotted his house, he broke into a jog, with Keith running alongside him. They walked through the white picket-fence gate and up to the door. Lance raised his hand to knock and paused. He turned to Keith.

“You ready?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Keith assured him, but the curve in his brow betrayed his worry to Lance.

Lance squeezed his hand, prompting Keith to look at him. “I know you’re not super comfortable around other people, so if you ever get overwhelmed, just let me know,” he said.

Keith smiled, gaze impossibly soft. “Thank you.” 

Lance smiled back. “No problem.” 

He rapped on the door.

“¿Lancito?” his mamá called through the door. 

She opened it a moment later, beaming and embracing her son as soon as she saw him. 

“Welcome home,” she whispered into his hair. 

Lance hugged her tight, body relaxing into the unmistakable comfort of his mamá’s hold. After a moment, she pulled away and hugged Keith as well. Keith anticipated it this time and hugged her back.

“It’s good to see you too, Keith,” she said. “Come inside, lunch is almost ready.”

Lance took up Keith’s hand again as they stepped through the door. A cheer rose up from the living room when they walked in. Lance’s family members filled the house, either sitting on the couch or bustling around the kitchen. They all stopped what they were doing to take turns greeting Lance with big hugs. As he accepted each embrace, he felt like a long-suppressed emptiness inside him was being filled. He felt whole again. 

Almost every person had little questions for him and Keith as well. 

“¿Por cuánto tiempo están juntos?” (How long have you been together?)

“¿Qué te gustas sobre él?” (What do you like about him?)

“¿Lo amas?” (Do you love him?)

Lance answered each question quickly, brushing off the last one with flustered mumblings. He translated every bit of conversation to Keith, except for that last question. 

“Lance, mi hermoso,” Lance’s abuela beckoned from her spot on the couch. 

Lance beamed and sat down next to her, kissing her cheek. Veronica told him that she had stayed behind at a shelter when they escaped to Arizona because the move would have been too much for her. They had all been worried about her and asked if they should stay, but she waved them off, insisting, “Ya no soy tan viejo.” (I’m not that old yet.) He was relieved to see she was okay. Part of him had been scared that she would pass away while he was in space, but she was right there in front of him, smiling at him.

Keith sat on Lance’s other side. Lance’s abuela put her hand over Lance’s. 

“Estoy tan feliz a verte,” she said. (I’m so happy to see you.)

“Yo también. Te extrañé mucho,” he said. (Me too. I missed you a lot.)

His abuela gestured at Keith. “¿Quién es?” (Who is he?)

Lance turned to Keith and grabbed his hand, blushing a little. “Él es mi novio.” (He’s my boyfriend.)

His abuela regarded Keith with a tilt of her head and pursed lips. “¿Vas a cuidarlo?” (Are you going to take care of him?)

“She’s asking if you’re going to take care of me,” Lance told Keith. 

Keith looked at Lance’s abuela. “Sí. I intend to.”

Lance translated this to his abuela. She nodded. “¿Los hacen felices?” (Do you make each other happy?)

Lance translated this to Keith. They smiled at each other and nodded. 

“Sí, mucho,” Lance said.

His abuela looked at the pair then smiled warmly. “Es todo que necesité oír.” (That’s all I needed to hear.)

She reached over and patted Keith’s knee. “Mucho gusto, mijo.” (It’s nice to meet you, son.)

Lance’s eyes lit up. “She called you ‘mijo’!” he said to Keith.

“What does that mean?” Keith asked. 

“It means ‘my son’. It’s a term of endearment,” Lance explained. 

Keith’s eyebrows shot up. He looked at Lance’s abuela. “Gracias,” he said. 

She nodded. 

“Lance!” Lance’s mamá called from the kitchen. “Why don’t you show Keith to your room?” 

“¡No los animan, mamá!” Veronica said. (Don’t encourage them, mamá!) 

Most of his family laughed. Lance blushed and helped Keith to his feet. They weaved through the crowd and into a hallway. Lance led Keith a couple doors down to reach his room. He turned the knob and pushed in. 

A contented sigh left his lips as he entered his bedroom. Everything was just as he left it, just with a layer of dust on top. He let go of Keith’s hand and took a moment to walk around, running his fingers over the pictures he tacked up on the wall, his perfectly-made bed (his mamá taught him well), and his desk. He had started to created his own space in the back of Red’s cockpit, but having his bedroom back was so much better.

He turned back to Keith, who was standing awkwardly in the doorway. 

“Oh! Sorry, babe. Welcome to my room!” Lance said, opening his arms wide.

Keith stepped inside and looked around. “It suits you,” he said.

“Yeah. I used to share with my brother Luis until he moved out. It’s been nice to have my own space since then,” Lance explained. 

His eyes fell upon his guitar resting against the wall and he gasped. He walked over to pick it up. 

“Aw man, I haven’t played this in forever! Let’s see if I’ve still got it.” 

He sat on the bed and patted the spot next to him, prompting Keith to sit down. Keith watched as Lance strummed the instrument reverently, even though it was out of tune. The guitar was a warm brown color, with a few scuffs here and there and a faded sticker of a shark near the bottom. Lance plucked at the strings and started to tune it. 

“How long have you been playing?” Keith asked. 

Lance turned a machine head. “My eldest brother Marco taught me when I was really young, like five or so. I could barely hold it then! This is actually his first guitar; he gave it to me.” 

He strummed again and was pleased to hear a harmony at last. He threw Keith a flirty smirk. 

“Can I...serenade you?” he asked.

Keith rolled his eyes but couldn’t wipe away his smile. “Sure,” he said nonchalantly. He leaned back on his hands. 

Lance looked down at the strings and reminded himself of one of the first songs Marco had taught him, “El Amor De Mi Vida” by Ricky Martin. Its sweet lyrics made it one of his favorites, even if it was a little cliché. And now he finally had someone to dedicate those words to. 

He took a deep breath. Despite his bravado, he was a bit nervous singing and playing his guitar in front of Keith, especially because he was out of practice, but he was mostly content to be reunited with one of his favorite pastimes. And to show that pastime to his boyfriend. 

Lance strummed the first chord, then the rest of the opening chords. It felt natural; his fingers slipped back into the familiar pattern.

_“Yo no sé como empezó…”_ he started quietly. _“Solo sé que sucedió.”_

Lance watched Keith’s expression change from a playful smile to a more serious, attentive stare. 

_“Fue tal vez sin darme cuenta…”_

_He can’t understand what I’m saying, right?_ Lance thought to himself. _If he knew…_

All of the feelings balled up in his chest felt too big to be real. He was scared to believe in them himself, so how could he even think about conveying them to Keith?

_“No podía ver la luz, hasta que cierre mis ojos…”_

Lance continued to sing through the verses until he came to the chorus. 

_“Que eres el a-amor de mi vida,”_ he sang shakily.

Keith’s eyebrows raised at that line, but he didn’t say anything. It might’ve just been Lance’s imagination, but he seemed to edge a little closer.

Screw it, Lance thought to himself. Maybe he was too afraid to say it directly, but he could say it like this. He was in love with Keith. 

_“Me lo dice mi corazón que no te olvida,”_ he continued.

He genuinely believed in what he was saying, even though they weren’t his own words. 

_“Ahora tengo una razón para existir para vivir, y puedo ser feliz, porque ahora sé…”_

Lance let go of his worry and gave in to the movement of the song. He smiled as all of its high notes and softer tones came back to him, flowing out of his lips. While he sang, he alternated between looking down at his fingers and glancing up at Keith. Each time he did, he was amazed at how soft Keith’s gaze was, how gentle his smile was, how beautiful he was. Then his fingers would stutter on a chord and he would have to look back down at his guitar. 

Finally, he came to the last line.

_“Que seas quien espera, en cada atardecer, y una estrella descubrir, y te pueda repetir,”_ he sang. 

He strummed the last chord with a flourish and looked up at Keith. They held each other’s gaze for a few moments. Lance was about to speak when Keith suddenly scooted closer and kissed him. 

Lance smirked again when they parted. “I guess I don’t need to translate,” he said. 

Keith smiled and cupped Lance’s cheek. “No. I didn’t understand everything, but I think I got the general idea. That was...really sweet.”

Lance lifted his hand to hold Keith’s in place and turned his head to kiss it. “I meant it.”

Keith stared at him, eyes alight. They both knew exactly which line Lance was referring to. _The love of my life…_

“Every word,” Lance murmured. 

The two were about to lean in for another kiss when-

“¡Lancito! ¡Estamos listos!” his mamá called from the kitchen.

The two gave each other a smile that said, _Later._ Lance smoothly slipped Keith’s hand into a more comfortable holding position and set his guitar aside. Then he stood and helped Keith to his feet. 

“I’m so excited for you to try my family’s cooking! Especially my abuela’s and my mom’s,” Lance told him. 

“I can’t wait.” Keith smiled and let himself be led back into the hall.

***

Lance ate his way through big servings of all of his favorite foods, earning teasing comments from his relatives. It was so nice to be at the dinner table with his family again, to chat and laugh with them. He’d felt this unity with the team at times, but it wasn’t quite the same. 

Keith ate more timidly but enjoyed everything he tried. Lance’s siblings all spoke English, so they kept conversations with him and Lance chimed in as well. He was incredibly happy to see Keith getting along with his family. 

At the end of the meal, Lance leaned back and sighed. “That was amazing, guys. Muchas gracias.” 

Lance’s mamá laughed wholeheartedly. “I’m glad you enjoyed it, mijo. But I hope you saved room for dessert.”

Lance jolted up in his seat. “¡Claro que sí!” (Of course!)

His mamá stood and retrieved her flan from the kitchen. She set it down in front of Lance, making his mouth water. She chuckled and cut a slice for him and Keith. 

“Para los amantes,” she teased as she put the plate between the two of them. (For the lovers.)

Lance blushed as his mamá moved to serve slices to the rest of his family. With the delicious-looking flan in front of him though, he quickly got over his embarrassment. 

“I feel stupid for asking, but what is this?” Keith asked, staring at it. 

“Oh it’s totally fine, mi amor. It’s called flan. It’s like a custard made with milk and cream and sugar, and the brown syrup is caramel. It’s really good!” Lance explained. 

Keith nodded and picked up his spoon.

“Wait! We should feed each other,” Lance said.

Keith quirked an eyebrow. “Why?” 

Lance got a spoonful of flan. “It’s a cute thing couples do. We each get a spoonful and hold it to the other’s lips. Then we eat it at the same time.”

Keith chuckled. “I don’t really see the point.” 

“Aww, can’t we give it a try? Please?” Lance pouted at him until he gave in.

“Alright,” Keith laughed. “If you really want to.”

He scooped up some flan and held it in front of Lance. Lance put his spoonful in front of Keith’s mouth. 

“Okay. One, two, three,” Lance counted off. 

Lance’s spoon bumped against Keith’s closed lips and he scrunched up his face in surprise. Keith didn't move his spoon close enough, so Lance only got half a bite before the rest spilled on his chin. 

They looked at each other, both with caramel sauce around their lips. Then they both burst out laughing. 

Lance set down his spoon and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Okay, maybe that wasn’t such a good idea. How about I feed you first and then we can take turns?”

“That’d probably be better,” Keith chuckled. 

Lance scooped up a new spoonful of flan and held it up to Keith. Keith leaned forward and closed his mouth around it. He hummed happily.

“Good, right? There’s nothing like my mamá’s flan,” Lance said. 

Keith nodded and picked up a piece for Lance with his spoon. Lance ate it eagerly. It had been so long that the sweet taste felt new on his tongue. The creamy texture almost melted in his mouth, complimented perfectly by the bitter stickiness of the caramel. He sighed contentedly and Keith giggled at that.

They continued like this, taking turns feeding each other, until the very last bite. 

“Ugh, that was so good,” Lance said.

Keith placed his hand on top of his under the table. Lance looked up in surprise. 

“You were right,” Keith said. “The feeding each other thing was cute. I liked it.”

Lance smiled, a little smug. “I told you so.” 

Keith rolled his eyes and squeezed his hand a little too hard. Lance laughed. His eyes wandered, and the window past Keith’s shoulder caught his eye. The sun was low and the sky was starting to turn orange. He jumped to his feet. 

“C’mon Keith, we’ll miss it!” he exclaimed. 

Keith let himself be pulled to his feet, though his face clearly showed his bewilderment. “Miss what?” 

Lance led him to the front door. He glanced behind him. “The sunset!” 

Keith grinned and followed Lance outside, leaving behind Lance’s relatives, who were shaking their heads affectionately. “Amor joven,” they sighed. (Young love.)

As soon as Keith and Lance reached the street, they took off running, still clutching the other’s hand. They ran all the way to the beach, not caring that they got sand in their sneakers. They stopped in front of the water, though Lance was very tempted to disregard his clothes and jump right in; the ocean was practically his second home. But he had made a plan, so he opted to stay dry and stay with Keith.

“Let’s sit down,” he said. 

Keith nodded and sat on the sand next to him. Warm hues of orange, pink, and purple swirled together around the setting sun and reflected off of the calm water. Lance sighed and put his arm around Keith. He realized that he checked off all the tasks he promised Keith they would do once the war was over. Now he wondered what would come next for them. 

As if hearing his thoughts, Keith turned to him, though he didn’t look him in the eyes. “Um...Lance, I…” he tried to say. 

Lance stared at him, just quietly waiting for him to finish.

Keith furrowed his eyebrows and finally looked up. “I love you,” he said.

Lance’s eyes grew wide and his lips slowly parted. 

“I know you said you don’t know what that means, but you taught me, Lance. You showed me what it means to love someone,” Keith said, starting to smile. “And I know for sure that I love you.”

Lance was absolutely stunned. Tears welled up in his eyes as he stared at Keith. He was so beautiful; his purple eyes were illuminated by the glow from the sunset and his smile was so kind, so genuine, so sure. He meant it, he really really meant it. 

Lance surged forward and pressed his lips to Keith’s, ignoring the happy tears that slipped out of his eyes. When he pulled back he cupped Keith’s face in his hands and smiled wide. 

“Oh Keith, I love you too. I love you so much,” he told him. He kissed him again, making soft smack sound. After he opened his eyes, he averted them shyly. “I was so afraid to admit it, to even let myself believe it for the longest time. But now,” he thumbed over Keith’s cheek scar and laughed a little, “I’m so relieved. I feel like my heart’s going to explode with happiness.” 

Keith giggled and looped his arms around Lance’s neck to close the space between them again. Their lips moved together gently, yet passionately, communicating their love, trust, and shared happiness. They pulled away slowly, leaning their foreheads against each other’s. 

Lance couldn’t stop smiling. He finally had what he’d been wanting for so long: someone he could love and who would love him in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! It means a lot to me that you stuck out to the end. My next project will be a bonus NSFW chapter for this fic that I'm super excited for. I can't say when that will be posted, as smut usually takes me longer, but hopefully in two weeks or less! Subscribe if you're interested :)

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on tumblr @prettypaladinss !


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